Fern Lake Fauna

September 2024
A look at the birds and other creatures we see at camp, featuring loons.

We are up at the family cottage on Fern Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.  The tallest mountain in view is Whiteface, where the downhill skiing competitions were held during the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

The smallest thing in the photo is a Bald Faced Hornet. Their nest hangs out over the water (bottom right of photo) so there is little danger of it being disturbed. 

The nest grows a little every day.

Here's info on these hornets from Wikipedia:

Bald-faced hornets are omnivorous, and considered to be beneficial due to their predation of flies, caterpillars, and spiders. Their aggressive defensive nature, though, makes them a threat to humans who wander too close to a nest or when a nest is constructed too close to human habitation. They vigorously defend the nest, with workers stinging repeatedly, as is common among social bees and wasps. The bald-faced hornet has a unique defense in that it can squirt or spray venom from the stinger into the eyes of vertebrate nest intruders. The venom causes immediate watering of the eyes and temporary blindness.

The main entrance is always active. 

Enough insects, let's focus on birds. This Osprey was looking intently at something in the water.

Mom called out "there's an Osprey on the birch tree." I grabbed the camera and ran upstairs just in time to catch an eye level portrait through the upper window.

Note: You can double click on any photo to open it in a new window and zoom in. All of these are fairly high resolution photographs.

A few clicks later and he was gone.

While I was paddling around looking for loons, Beth captured this Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on a flower.

Chipmunks have always been a favorite animal at the lake. We put out peanuts on a stump every day. My father used to feed them out of his hand. The "chippies" often stand and stare at us if we forget to put snacks out.

Morning commute?

We often see this Beaver swimming towards the less populated end of the lake just after breakfast.

Kingfisher

An infrequent visitor, who never stays in one spot for long, we were excited when it perched on a dock post.

One more snapshot before he flew down the lake.

Loons

Though only one pair of loons typically spends the summer here, today they had friends over for a morning get-together.  

We heard loon calls* echoing off the hillsides last night and really wonder if there were conversations going on between lakes about where to meet.

I was thrilled when the group came closer.

Beth snapped this photo showing how close they approached.

They didn’t seem bothered by my camera clicking sounds, but this one was surely aware I was there.

A classic look.

As all of us are becoming even more interested in loons, we took a short drive to Saranac Lake and visited the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation. 

There we learned that loons have solid bones, so are heavier than most birds. With their unusual weight, they need about a quarter mile of open water to get airborne.

Displays were fine, but the center was smaller than we expected. Here's my mom in comparison to a loon decoy and a full size stuffed loon.

The center does schedule presentations and guided paddles that are worth looking into if you are planning a visit to the town of Saranac Lake.

Thankfully, Fern Lake exceeds the minimum take off requirements at about two miles long. Loons have plenty of runway here. 

Early mornings provide a smooth lake for kayaking and communing with loons.

The weather isn't always perfect. Here's a Loon who appears to be unbothered by a little rain.

On another day, my sister took us for a scenic cruise around the lake. We came across this loon gathering and just floated along enjoying their antics.

This one seems to be saying "Hey, look at me!"

We keep Fascinating Loons  by Stan Tekiela (2006) in the living room as a reference and read that males have a 5 foot wingspan.

When loons get close, their large size becomes apparent. This one surfaced near the boat.

We love this little lake and have been fortunate to hear loon calls echoing off the mountains here for the past 52 years. 

Goodnight from a loony photographer in the Adirondacks

Loon Calls

* There isn't anything to see in this video, but you can hear the loon discussion on the night before the seven loons gathered on the lake.