Tales from Little Partridge Lake: Larry the Loon

Poor little Larry the Loon. For the first several weeks of his (or her) life, he was safely tucked between his gorgeous parents. A few weeks ago, his Dad took off for greener pastures - or bluer waters, as the case may be - leaving him in the loving wings of his devoted mother. The mother/chick pair were rarely apart - eating, sleeping, and just generally floating around together - day and night.

This morning, however, everything changed. Big Daddy-O flew in to reconnect with his lovely wife. After a heartwarming reunion and a little mutual fishing, the pair bid a fond farewell to Larry and took off into the great blue yonder. Sans Larry.

Apparently, that is the way it goes in the Loon world. The parents just up and go - leaving the chick to his or her own devices until he or she is able to fly. 

Larry is pretty close to taking wing. His flight feathers are almost in. I would imagine that within the next few days or weeks, Larry will make his inaugural flight. He'll flap his way over to a larger lake where he will hook up with a bunch of other hipster chicks. They'll hang out like a bunch of rowdy teens until it is time to fly south.

Poor Larry. He looks a tad forlorn out there on Little Partridge Lake all on his own. Good luck with those flight feathers, bird man! 

We'll be sad to see you go.

Life in Transition on Little Partridge Lake

I must admit I have not been writing as much as I should be lately. Spring arrived late at our new home on Little Partridge Lake and as summer approaches, the level of activity out on the lake has reached a fever pitch.

If you think Twitter and Facebook are distractions you should try a Common Loon vs. Canada Goose showdown out on the water. The geese won the battle, managing to save their five goslings from a vicious loon attack, but I'm afraid they lost the war. There has been no sign of the geese or their offspring for days.

On the beach, a red-winged blackbird and a tricky raven battle it out on a daily basis. The blackbird dive-bombs his much larger foe with a level of courage and derring-do that far outweighs his small size. Oddly, there are times when the mortal enemies walk together on our small beach, side by side, chatting amiably. These momentary ceasefires remind me of a cartoon sheepdog and coyote from my childhood. Those two foes waged bloody war only until five o'clock in the afternoon after which they punched the clock and went out for a drinks together.

Faced with that level of drama I find it next to impossible to drag myself back into the gray office and sit down at the computer.

Signy Shepherd will have to wait.














 Meanwhile....I've been exploring the lake. A natural transition zone occurs where the water meets the land. Along this magical boundary species from both the wooded forest and the aquatic environment abound.  Join me over the next few weeks as I encounter some truly amazing creatures.

 

Let's begin with some cool plant life.

Dotting the edges of the small lake are bog-like fens.
Fens are dominated by grasses and sedges and have a high diversity of other plant species...










...including these lovely wild irises.

On a healthy fen, carnivorous plants wait patiently for their next meal.


Just offshore, I found many spectacular examples of carnivorous pitcher plants. Check out this dangerous flower.







 Unfortunate insects, attracted by the flashy colours and musty smell of the flower head down the curled leaves, become stuck in the sticky interior and are digested by the plant.

Ugh.  Nasty way to die.



Hmmm....

Perhaps one of my villains might suffer a similar fate...?


Life and death in the transition zone.


Food for thought.