Lone Fisherman

I took this photo about 6 A.M. a few days ago when the sun was just coming up (or the moon was just going down). It was as quiet as could be and I'd bet that the fisherman in the boat was thinking he was in heaven. This is a good walleye lake, as I understand it. Bass, too, I think. The grandkids like just fishing off the dock for sunfish. Sunnies, as we call them.

Then, just a couple of hours ago Jack came in to say that there was a big old loon just floating along out by the dock. Sure enough, there it was. It's the same loon that we've seen here in the past, I'm pretty sure. They typically do return to the same lake year after year. I just read about that. This one seems very comfortable and even though I was right down by the shore, he wasn't in the least bit nervous.

There's a theory that loons mate for life. I used to feel so sad when I'd see a loon all alone - I'd wonder whatever happened to it's mate. However, that's not exactly true. Some may but many loons find another mate after losing one. Good.

Here's a little loon trivia. Did you know that pilots have clocked loons flying at 80 miles per hour? And did you know that they need about a quarter mile of water for take off? They're so heavy that it takes them that long to get into the air!