[Riverwild]

Sooo...today we have been working on all those last minute things that need to be done before the snow REALLY starts coming down. It's been snowing all day, just a fine mist of snow, not really accumulating, but it's freezing cold and blowing hard.

I took a break to warm up after stacking some wood, and I was folding some laundry and the old man came in and told me to get my coat and boots back on (picture me whining here)

I went back out, coat, boots, hat, gloves...and he told me to grab the binoculars. He pointed out something stuck downstream of our house on the ice. I got the binocs sighted and checked out the thing on the ice.

It was a young loon. It had either been blown off course while flying and tried to land and hit the ice or had been frozen in while swimming down the shallow end of the lake. Even worse, there was a young eagle flying above it, getting lower and lower, checking it out, more than likely thinking dinnertime!

Soooo...(picture me swearing here), we put the boat back in the water, grabbed lifejackets and a paddle, and headed down to see if we could help it. It was close to the edge of the ice, but frozen in it! So we used a paddle to chip at the ice until we could get the ice it was in loose. We got it loose and the loon and the ice it was still stuck in floated into open water. We stayed with it to make sure that the ice was melting and that it could stay upright and then backed off. It had one foot loose and kept heading back to the ice, and we kept turning it out to open water.

It finally got the other foot free and headed out to the open lake away from the ice. Last I saw it was slowly making it's way up the lake and preening it's feathers and flapping it's wings, maybe to get the rest of the ice off?

Back to shore, pull boat out of water AGAIN, put away life jackets and paddles and head around the house to watch and make sure the little dummy didn't try to beach again.

It's so sad to see a young loon that doesn't get out in time. Sometimes they are born late and when winter comes they still don't know how to fly, but the parents stick with them until the very last minute that they can. These birds need a LONG stretch of open water to take off. We don't know why this one was still here, was alone, was frozen in ice when there was open water right near it. We did what we could. I hope he/she makes it. At least it has a fighting chance out of the ice, but I don't think it will be many more days before it ices in completely here.

[weegot5kiz]

cool RW thats cool i love to listen to loons late at night and early morn, they are so cool

[KarenMarie]

Good for you - I am so protective of the loons on our bay - everytime I hear their distress call that goes on and on I send Joe down to see what's there - they nest in our bog and I know the fox can go from high point to high point and get pretty close to the
chicks -

[SallyC]

(((((((My Hero))))))) Thanks River..

Everytime i hear of Loons, I remember the Movie "On Golden Pond" ..Loved that movie.

[soxmom]

what a wonderful thing you and your old man did River. I too hope
the little loon made it out. thanks for trying.

[Gazelle]

Your karma quotient just jumped immensely.

The youngster was incredibly lucky that you did that.

[dmplaura]

Loons are an incredible bird.

Thank you for supporting the Canadian economy.

Actually, a fond memory of mine is traveling north in Ontario as a child, and camping near North Bay, Ontario on the lake. Every morning you'd be greeted by the call of the loons.

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by Gazelle

Your karma quotient just jumped immensely.

Bless you.......you do know that you'll be rewarded for that selfless act of kindness. Most people would just say "oh, it's just a loon....let it figure it out itself." We need for more people to be like you, RW. This world would be a better place.

[CayoKay]

Originally Posted by SallyC

Every time i hear of Loons, I remember the Movie "On Golden Pond" ..Loved that movie.

I never got to see that movie, and being from California, I've never seen a Loon, so I had to Google it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loon

ahhhhhh, it's like a super-cool version of a DUCK or a Goose !!

both of which I spend almost my entire day enjoying...



good on ya, River, for assisting the Loon in its time of need.



my most common "rescue" around here is aiding my lady ducks when my crazy *roosters* get weird interspecies ideas of recreation.

one particular rooster, Hitch, is always pestering the ducks, and I have to skillfully wield a rake to "discourage" him from his amorous pursuits...