I’m Thankful for Laughter
I’m Thankful for Family
For the Beautiful world we live in, I give Thanks
For Friends and Fun, Thank you
I’m Thankful that I’m not a turkey
https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/efacademyblog/top-10-thanksgiving-traditions-in-the-us/
It’s springtime in the lakes region of New Hampshire and the haunting warble of the loon’s call has returned too. That means it’s time for me to begin my quest for a decent photo of the common Loon. The Common loon once was plentiful in New Hampshire waters but now sits squarely on the endangered list mostly due to man’s disruption of their habitat and lead poisonings from fishing lures and sinkers.
I know finding the perfect photo is a lot of luck when it comes to wildlife photography. Wild Things don’t present themselves on demand! It took me years to get a decent moose photo and I had to go to Wyoming to get it.
Moose in Maine
Moose in Wyoming Grand Teton
But even with that photo I feel it could be better. But I’m giving moose a break and turning my attention to the Common Loon
So last year I took my first loon photos on Lake George. They weren’t very good.
Lake George Loon 2020
Gray and fuzzy but we all have to start somewhere. I’m going to try my luck at Squam Lake this year. It’s chick season now so I’m heading to New Hampshire.
Little Squam Lake was the filming location for the 1981 movie, On Golden Pond. It’s a beautiful lake. There are actually 2 lakes. Big Squam and Little Squam. Our Loon Cruise would take us into Little Squam where there are nesting platforms for the loons. It’s chick season now and I’d love to catch a glimpse of some of those little guys. When first hatched they can’t regulate their body temperature so they often hitch rides on their parent’s backs.
Loon with chicks- Unattributed from web- (wish it were mine)
But that behavior only lasts for about 2 weeks. Not much time to catch them in action
Little Squam Lake 2021
I drove from my Home in Taunton to Squam Lake , about 2.5 hours one way, for a 90 minute cruise then drove home after the cruise. It was worth it. We had a naturalist on board who specializes in Loons. Her stories and tips really explained the behaviors we got to see.
We spotted 2 adult loons right away near the first nesting platform. You can see one of the adults on the nest here.
At the next stop there were 2 tiny chicks, just hatched. They were too small and too far away for me to get a picture but it was exciting. It was also at this spot that we saw a display of territorial behavior. The 2 adults were trying to send a 3rd loon away. They were splashing and flapping their wings. Right before they all took flight we heard them call. That was amazing. I love to hear the call of the loons.
We stopped by another nesting site but it didn’t seem to be active. Still is wasn’t a total loss. As we pulled away we spotted a bald eagle.
Bald Eagle- Squam Lake 2021
We picked up speed to head back to the dock and right in front of us we spotted a Cormorant. So of course we had to slow down and watch him for a bit. Unfortunately I missed his take off when he decide to leave.
Cormorant – Squam Lake 2021
It had been a full trip with lots to see but we weren’t done yet. As we neared the end of the cruise we spotted a great blue Heron on a rock. It was being harassed by 2 loons who clearly did not want Mr. Blue in their territory.That was a great ending to a fun cruise.
So maybe I didn’t get that “Iconic” Photo but I got some good memories.
3 adult loons taking off – Squam Lake 2021
From Diamond Resorts Destination Page
Good Morning Travel friends! Sorry I missed last weekend. It was just a busy 2 days. I’m one step closer to being travel ready. I got my first COVID shot. 2nd one coming up this week. I hear we will need a booster every year!
Well let’s get back to vetting Colorado locations, shall we? How about Estes Park next? That’s a familiar name. I think Estes Park is a fairly well known destination. I also think it’s a winter destination known for skiing. But just wait til you hear what the web has to say. Might as well start there.
Photo from Wikipedia
Estes Park is a town in northern Colorado. Located as a base for the Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s home to wildlife including elk and bears, plus miles of trails. The park’s Trail Ridge Road winds past craggy peaks, forests and tundra. Nearby are the wilderness areas of Roosevelt National Forest. The Estes Park Aerial Tramway connects the town to the summit of Prospect Mountain for views over the valley. ― Google
Estes Park is a popular winter vacation destination but what can we do in the summer. Turns out, quite a lot. I found a link marked Extreme Estes Park from Trip Advisor. Loaded with hiking and private tours; looks like lots of adventures waiting. There’s a Rocky Mountain Jeep tour. (Jeep tours are always fun) . I like the sound of the Evening Wildlife tour in Rock Mountain National Park. It has 5 stars! Nearly every Summer Safari they see Moose cows and sometimes bulls, Elk bulls and cow herds with calves, Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep on the distant mountains through the spotting scope, Yellow-bellied Marmots, American Pika, and a number of small cute critters only found in the Rockies like Least Chipmunk, Ground Squirrels, many different birds and some hawk & eagles.
Of course being a photography nut this tour caught my eye: Evening Private Wildlife Safari in RMNP
Here’s the description-For the Landscape option we can shot Sunrise at an Subalpine Lake, on the Tundra, or along the river of a Mountain Meadow. Wildlife like Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Marmots, Pika, and on lucky days Bighorn Sheep can be captured.
All guests have access to our arsenal of Nikon pro cameras and lens like the D810 and 600mm lens.
I’ll need more than 1 trip to see everything I want to see.
Hawaiian NeNe (Goose)
Birds are a popular photo subject with me. My friends often tell me it’s time to stretch my wings and get a new subject and I do. I chase all kinds of wildlife. But sometimes the birds are just there. They are an easy subject because I don’t have to search for them. I can spend days trying to locate a fox or a moose or even a deer to photograph but birds are always around me.
Bird on a wireI was near a pond in Norton taking shots of the fall foliage. Birds were the farthest thing from my mind when a hawk settled right above my head on a wire. How could I not take his picture? Besides birds are a challenge to get a good shot. Although the hawk was right on a wire near me the background was filled with tree leaves. He also spend quite a bit of his time on the wire with his back to me. Not much of a picture if you can only get the back of a head! So I continue to take pictures of birds.
Some of my best photos were in Florida. I always seem to have good luck there. I try to take most of my bird pictures in the wild. I may be at a wildlife sanctuary but the birds are wild and free to fly away. I got a second class photo of a very rare bird from an airboat. It’s called a snail kite and I didn’t realize how rare it was until I returned home and saw a special on the bird on PBS. The photo is blurry so I’m not going to share but the odds of me going back for a better one are pretty slim.
Accepted in Nat Geo “I Shot It” Contest
Another great bird trip was with the Audubon Society, I joined them for a trip to see the Maine Puffin Colony. What a trip! Who knew it could be so cold in the middle of July! We were in the Bay of Fundy where we could see the evidence of the 12 ft tides the area is known for. I may have to think about doing it again because I’ve improved my photography skills since then. But I did get a few ‘Braggable” shots. 
So now I have a new Bird Challenge. I need to get a decent photo of a common loon. Loons can be found in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and now the Lake George area of New York. I’ve seen them. I’ve heard them but always at a distance. So now my goal is to get close enough to get a good photo because I can do better than this!
I have some locations and ideas in mind but I think spring nesting season will be my best chance. I will keep you posted on my progress.
No update this week. I’ve moved into the browns and purples and they are harder to match and I haven’t had much time to work on it.
Brought to you by popular demand is my Jigsaw Puzzle update. The Bird Jigsaw Puzzle is proving to be a challenge. As you recall a few weeks ago I was excited to share that I had used my pictures to have 4 – 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles made up.
For photos I chose a mountain in Grand Teton National Park, A Sunflower with a butterfly, and a seal with a fish. The last photo I chose was of a Bird. A purple Gallinule to be exact taken in the Everglades.
I thought is would have a lot of detail to make the puzzle easier but my friends thought this would be the hardest of the 4.
With my friend’s observations in mind I decided to tackle the bird first to see just how hard it was. Of course I’m a little rusty with jigsaw puzzles. I’ve had cats for over 20 years and during that time I gave up the puzzles. My cats were just too helpful. I hated little cat teeth-marks in the pieces. Needless to say things are moving a bit slower than I expected. I got the border done quickly but I’m running into trouble finding the inner bits on the corners. Still I don’t spend hours working it. Its more like 15 minutes here, a half hour there. I try to spend a little time on it every day but I’m not obsessive. After all, I’m in no hurry.
I’m getting lots of little combos so once I figure out where they go the puzzle will start to move faster.
I was complaining to my friend JR that the pieces were hard to identify against the wood grain of the table. He told me about the puzzle mats. I’d never heard of them. They aren’t expensive and they do make puzzle-ing easier. The pieces tend to stay in place once they are snapped together. According to the instructions on the box you can roll up the mat with the puzzle on it and it will keep the puzzles in place. The box included an inflatable cylinder around which you roll the felt with the puzzle. I haven’t tried rolling it up yet. I think I’ll wait until it’s finished before I try that.