Loon near a fisherman.
As coolness fills the night air each fall, excitement builds from the awareness that soon my annual love affair with a beautiful and mysterious visitor from the North will begin again.
Though I’ve certainly known more than my share of unique ladies, this one is very different. She can fly, dive, swim faster than a fish and has a haunting song that penetrates the morning fog on Lake Lanier like the beam of a powerful searchlight. I’m referring to one of the most fascinating birds in the world … the common loon.
Though I have written many times in my career about these historical and fabulous waterfowl, seeing them again, each year, warms my soul! For those of us here in the South, this is the only opportunity we ever have to be a part of their life’s journey.
Lone Loon at Lake Lanier.
It seems that only a few years ago, loons suddenly appeared for the first time on Lanier’s blue-green waters, and for me it was love at first sight. These gorgeous birds are divers that normally measure 24 to 40 inches in length and have an elongated body and sharp, pointed bill. They are strong swimmers that propel themselves when diving by using radically webbed feet. Their legs are attached far back on the body – a characteristic that permits ease of movement when swimming, but causes great difficulty when attempting to walk on land.
Loons are unique among all other living birds because their legs are encased within the body all the way to the ankle. They can actually out swim most fish and are also good fliers but only become airborne after an extensive run along the top of the water. I’ve seen them fly alongside my bass boat at 60 miles per hour, and they are capable of flying great distances without stopping.
An early Loon pair on Lake Lanier.
In keeping with their uniqueness, loons rarely live or feed in areas that have been polluted by the extravagances of man, which makes me feel really good about the quality of the water at Lake Lanier. These beautiful creatures are also very family oriented, and always mate for life. Often, we at Lanier are privileged to observe parts of their courtship, but they fly back to their homes in Canada, Alaska or extremely northern areas of our country before laying eggs. During that period of incubation, both the male and female sit on the eggs and help nurture and raise the one or two chicks that they have each year.
It wasn’t until the movie, “On Golden Pond” that most people ever noticed loons, and until a few years ago, none were seen in our area. For some unknown reason, these ancient birds that are actually seen in the hieroglyphics of the pharaohs tombs, started showing up each fall around mid November and will remain until late April or early May.
Loons and seagulls together on Lake Lanier.
When I was a guide on Lake Lanier, bird watchers often hired my services to locate, study and photograph our transient loon population. It was such a pleasure to introduce these unique and magnificent birds to visitors at the lake. I still look forward to being on the water in the mornings listening to the haunting sounds of loon voices echoing across the fog-covered waters.
When most of the jet skis and mass humanity of summer have gone, and the cooler weather brings a quietness to the lake, it becomes an entirely different environment. The sounds of loons will fill the air with a symphony of song and natural beauty that again brings sanity and uniqueness to the beautiful waters of Lake Lanier!
Photos: by Bill Vanderford
