Yesterday was in the low forties with a tad nippy wind, but I drove my new 'route' past the Priest Dam. Looking south to the lake there was a flock of waterfowl floating in a V formation making their way to the farther reaches of the lake. I snapped a few quick shots to see if I could identify them in my software later. Turned out they were Redheaded Ducks and no, the images were not usable.
My goal was to drive to Hamilton Creek Recreation Area on Priest Lake which is about ten minutes further south. It was overcast with no evidence of much in the way of birds so I drove to the edge of the boat ramp for the best view. There was a pair of 'something' fishing in the lake far off but just close enough to capture an image. Much to my amazement as I checked the images in my software later, the pair were Common Loons. A life bird for me. Yippee!
After the Loons moved farther off, I drove over to another boat ramp and stopped. The Loons were pretty far away but I had my 300mm so I captured a few more images while, as luck would have it, the sun had peeked out between the cloud cover.
A quick note to everyone. I discovered that my post from earlier in the week on Bear Island turned out to be Goose Island. And Hermitage Island from several weeks ago, well that post was accurate. I can see this is going to be a challenge what with 38 islands situated on Priest Lake. I will persevere. Have a wonderful Sunday all. ENJOY!
Linking to Sunlit Sundays
The lake with ripples, lovely,I can see you will have lots more outings there.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear the call of the loons, Carol. I'm glad you're learning your new territory.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the lifer Carol. That was a very nice find.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard a loon call for many years - there don't seem to be any on this island. Their sound was a sound of my childhood. Your shots are lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour top photo is superb. Something quite restful yet hopeful at the same time. Great shot of the bird and tipples
ReplyDeleteI love loons and enjoyed seeing your new life bird! I love their sound. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to see a loon. Even nicer to hear their haunting calls in early morning on a northern lake!
ReplyDeleteI love loons. Their haunting call is so lovely when heard from the coziness of a tent in the summer. Beautiful photos, especially the first one.
ReplyDeleteI've not seen this kind of loon before, just the kind with the black heads. I hope you were able to hear its call. You certainly have a lot of islands to explore!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of the loon.
ReplyDeletegeweldig mooi met die kleine mooie golfjes in het meer.
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