We’ve been following a pair of nesting loons and were delighted to witness an early morning “changing” of the guard, when the sitting loon was relieved by its mate. Awkward on land, the sitting loon lumbered off the nest and was replaced by the other.

We also witnessed the “turning of the eggs” and discovered that loons typically will turn the eggs at the beginning of a nest-sitting shift. (The parents turn the eggs so that the heat of the parent is distributed evenly which keeps the inside membrane from sticking to the shell.) 

Loons typically lay a clutch of 1-2 eggs with one brood a season. The incubation period ranges from 26-29 days. When the chicks hatch, while they will stick close to the nest for a day or two, they are able to swim and ride on their parents' back with hours of hatching. Once hatched, both parents participate in the caring of their young.

Looking forward to observing how this little loon family evolves.

To learn more about this beautiful bird:

Common Loon - Life History

A loud, piercing, rattling call is the first clue that the Belted Kingfisher is patrolling the sides of rivers and lakes, searching and diving into the water for its primary diet of aquatic prey (fish and crayfish). They also will eat mollusks, insects, amphibians, reptiles, young birds, small mammals, and even berries. Watching them dive and successfully catch their food is an amazing thing to witness.

One way scientists have discovered information about this bird’s diet is through its pellets. When the nestlings are small, they can digest the bones and scales from the prey their parents bring. But once they leave the nest, they can no longer digest these and regurgitate the remains as pellets. Similar to the pellets of owls, hawks, eagles, ospreys, falcons, herons, gulls, and cormorants, scientists can examine and determine the diet.

To learn more about this beautiful bird:

Belted Kingfisher

A wonderful Naturalist blog to follow:

How Do We Know What A Belted Kingfisher Eats?

During these blistering hot days of summer, while humans can turn to air conditioning, cool drinks and swimming, how do the birds stay cool?

While observing a nesting loon during this week’s heat wave, we observed that it seemed to be panting. We’ve seen this in eagles before and discovered that this behavior is an adaptation as a cooling technique used for thermoregulation, where warmer blood cools and then circulates, lowering the animal’s body temperature.

Just like a swim can help us cool down, birds also find relief from the heat by bathing or swimming in water. By submerging into water, body heat is dissipated into the cooler water. Fluffing up feathers after a dip and opening wings to catch a breeze are other options to beat the heat.

Nesting loons begin panting when the temperatures rise to the seventies and keep panting continually in the eighties. Adult can take short swims, but don’t usually leave the nest for long as on hot days, the eggs can actually begin to cook (within 20 minutes) and are at risk from predators.

To discover more:

Watch Out for the Heat Wave!

How Do Birds Keep Cool in the Summer?

While we can experience thunderstorms throughout the year, they are more prevalent during the warmer months, especially during the summer. 

There are three “ingredients” needed for a “thunder boomer” to develop: moisture, instability in the atmosphere and movement.

1. Moisture: All clouds are composed of moisture which lead to precipitation. While thunderstorms are more common in the south during the winter in the warmer months, there is more moisture in the air in the north.
2. Instability (Atmospheric stability): Rapidly rising air is necessary for a thunderstorm. When the atmosphere is unstable, the buoyant warm air near the surface of the earth rises rapidly into the higher and colder air. The warmer the air combined with the colder air leads to an atmospheric instability.
3. Motion: For a thunderstorm to develop, there needs to be some type of a catalyst that causes movement. This can be a front created by heat from the sun or colder air above. In summertime, thunderstorms are usually precipitated in the afternoon, when the ground is the hottest from the sun. When the atmosphere is unstable, warm air rises, producing clouds, rain and ultimately lightning.

To discover more:

Understanding Lightning: Thunderstorm Development

To stay safe during a thunderstorm:

Be Prepared For a Thunderstorm, Lightning or Hail

Have you ever noticed butterflies hanging around mud puddles? There’s a reason for this behavior called “puddling” (a.k.a mud-puddling) and it’s not the fun of jumping in puddles.

Puddling is a life giving behavior where butterflies gather around mud puddles, damp soil, and even animal scat. They use their probiscus (mouth part shaped like a tube) to suck up and absorb essential nutrients. 

Reasons for puddling:

1. While butterflies primarily get their energy from the sugar in the nectar of flowers, it lacks the nutrients such as amino acids, salts and sodium which are critical for the insects’ survival, reproduction and overall strength and health.
2. These nutrients are especially important for male butterflies, who transfer them to the females during the mating process, leading to to healthier females and ultimately, healthier progeny.
3. Hydration is critical for butterflies like all species, and puddling will often provide sources of liquid.
4. Social gatherings at the local “watering hole” offering opportunities to attract and meet future mates.

To discover more in depth about this fascinating phenomenon:

Puddling: A Butterfly’s Secret Garden of Delight