Wildlife Watching Always in Season
Wildlife Watching Always in Season
By Doug Leier
North Dakota Game and Fish Dept
Most hunters and anglers go through periods of down time when their favorite season is closed, or the boat or ice fishing equipment goes into storage for several months. Mid-summer is such a time for hunters, while open-water anglers sit on the sidelines during winter.
It’s not difficult to find related activities such as sporting clays and trap shooting in the months between hunting seasons, or watching fishing shows when lakes are frozen, but actual participation must cease, at least for a while.
Perhaps that’s why birding, or wildlife watching, continues to gain popularity. Wildlife viewing, either as a planned activity or a random occurrence, is open 365 days a year.
Most people appreciate wildlife simply for its existence, whether it’s an angler marveling at a flock of pelicans circling overhead, a motorist pointing out a deer in a field to a passenger, a hunter chuckling at the spectacle of a muskrat trying to navigate through a cluster of duck decoys, or a bird-feeder wondering which of North Dakota’s 13 sparrow species is perched on a branch outside the window.
While nearly everybody enjoys seeing wildlife, more and more enthusiasts are making wildlife viewing, particularly for birds, a more focused quest. It’s an outdoor activity that’s always in season, in any weather.
The cornerstone of “birding” is keeping track of species observed. Some birders make their hobby a year-long mission to record as many kinds of birds as possible. Put all the species from each year together and you have what’s referred to as a “life list.”
Armed with a bird identification book and binoculars, it’s pretty easy to start crossing dozens of species off a list. But North Dakota has more than 300 kinds of birds that either live in or migrate through the state, and for someone to check off the last hundred or so requires considerable time, travel and effort during all seasons. And yet, more and more people are trying to do this, not only with home-state lists, but regional and national lists as well.
To get started in birding, however, doesn’t require a great investment. The basic element is a bird book so you can identify species with which you are not familiar. Many types of these books are available at book stores and other outlets.
A checklist of all North Dakota birds is available by calling or writing the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, or printing the list from the Department’s website at gf.nd.gov and clicking the publications link tab on the home page.
By the time you’ve listed most of the birds around the home front, you’ll know whether you’re interested enough to pursue other birds that might require more effort. Like most recreational pursuits, some people are casual participants, others are serious devotees, but the only way to find out if you like something is to try it.
In addition to the bird checklist, the game and fish department offers several free publications useful for all outdoors interests of all levels, some of which can be viewed online, or downloaded and printed.
As with many personal interests, there’s never enough time to do everything, but wildlife watching isn’t necessarily time consuming. It can even provide a pleasant diversion while you’re watering the garden or mowing the lawn. That’s likely another reason why it’s becoming so popular.
Leier is a biologist for the Game and Fish Department. He can be reached via email: dleier@nd.gov
The Common Loon, Minnesota's state bird, is far from common.
By Ed Meyer
STATE BIRD
The state bird of Minnesota is far from common. Many lakes have no nesting Loons. Nesting Loons need at least 50 acres of water for every pair and 2 young. This family will eat about 500 pounds of fish in one season. The female Loon lays two eggs and each of the parents takes turns sitting on the nest. Incubation takes 29 to 30 dazes and the young leave the nest as soon as they are born and never return. They are 32 inches long, weight of about 9 pounds and have one of the prettiest sounds heard by humans. They are black and white, but check the picture showing all the colors on the head of a Loon. There are five Loon types, but it is rare to see any other Loons in this area.
NEST
Loons want to nest on some type of floating device, that is at least 10 feet from shore and somewhat protected from; wind, boat traffic, predators from the air and land. Lyle and I made the nesting platform the Loons use on our lake. The Loon sitting on the nest will keep watch, and anything that seems to spook them will cause that Loon to get as low on the nest as possible. Getting too close to the nest will cause the Loons (the one on the nest and its mate) to make a ruckus that can be heard all around the lake. Should you hear Loons making strange noises and acting like they are attacking something, know that you or someone is way too close to the Loon nest. Loons will tolerate the people that live near their nest, but will not let them come close when on the nest.
PREDATORS
Raccoons and dogs will cause Loons problems while nesting. Eagles and Hawks will take young Loons with ease, and large Northern and Muskies think young Loons are delicious. Fishermen and women some times will have a young Loon take their sucker minnow or even a waxworm.
DOMINANT
Young Loons start to determine the dominant bird as soon as they are both hatched. The Loon parents feed only the dominant offspring. This is why most Loons have only one baby Loon after the first few daze. Years when food is plentiful and boat traffic is light the adult loons will be able to feed both demanding baby Loons.
RARE SIGHT
Young Loons will ride on the parents back for the first few daze, and then they swim on their own. They go to the adult Loons back for; warmth, protection and when they are tired from swimming. To see this event, one has to be on the lake when the Loons are hatched.
SURVIVAL
Only one time did I observe an adult Loon take one of the baby Loons (I assume it was the weaker) off to the cattails. The young and the adult swam into the weeds, and after a short time only the adult Loon swam out and rejoined the family. That baby Loon was never seen again. The adult Loons will only feed the number of young they can provide for. Unlike humans, that will say, “Clair (get it, Clair-da-loon) you had enough fish, leave some for your little brother.”
FEEDING
The adult Loons will start feeding the young with small minnows and after a short time they will bring the minnow to the young and drop it in front of the young. Teaching the young to catch their own dinner. Young Loons stay close to the parents while learning to fish, as the only thing young Loons will eat are fish. Most of us know that it is very difficult to catch fish on Minnesota lakes on a weekend or holiday. Think how hard it is for a Loon to find any fish to feed their young.
DEPARTURE
Come the later part of August or early September, the male Loon will depart the lake, heading for the Atlantic Ocean, for the winter. A month or two after the male leaves, the female heads east too. This leaves the young Loon alone on the lake. Don’t ask me how the baby Loon know that it has to head east or when it know it is time to go, but they get to the Atlantic, and spend the next three years growing and getting ready to return to a lake in the upper Midwest. I do know that the young Loons meet up with other young Loons and some how they get there. I’m sure they have a GPS hidden on them someplace.
EYE PROTECTION
I know, how will these Loons dive for fish in the ocean with the salt water affecting their eyes. They do have a special CLEAR lens that covers their eyes while fishing in the ocean. This lens is not used in fresh water.
MATES
Loons do not mate for life, but should the pair that was on your lake make it through the winter, they will return to your lake. Should only the male live through the winter, he will call in a mate when he returns. Should the female survive, another male Loon on their return to the Midwest will call her in.
Loons at times will call in Loons from other lakes to have a special feast. They swim in a LARGE half circle, flopping one wing and making a strange noise. Soon you will see Loons coming into your lake from every direction. They will all swim to one area and form a circle for a few minutes. Then they spread out in a line, parallel to the shore and swim toward shore. The Loons will dive as they swim and one can tell they are feeding. After a short time of feeding, they will all take off and return to their home lake. Loons take about seventy-five yard to get up into the air, so they will fly right over your boat, and very low to the water. This is one of the coolest activities I have ever watched.
Should you live on a lake or near a lake that has nesting Loons, you are very lucky. You have a chance to observe nature at its greatest. Watching a bird that can have not more than two off spring a season, continue to survive. Take some time this year to watch Loons feed their young, dive for food and listen the majestic call. If you are lucky enough to live near a lake, then you are lucky enough.
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