Ampersand Mtn Part 2: Lakes and Loons

The view from Ampersand Mtn is one of the best in the Adirondacks because it looks over dozens of lakes, including the Saranac Chain of Lakes, Tupper Lake, and the Ampersand Lake that the mountain is named for. When I first climbed Ampersand last fall what made the experience even more memorable for me was being able to look over the lakes that I spent the summer paddling as a biologist for the Adirondack Loon Program. Looking down at the Saranac Lakes I could trace the path of my kayak over the lakes in my head, connecting the different paddles I had done to what I could see below. Paddling to the edge of a bog is a completely different experience from being able to see the entire bog from up above, as you can see how much larger it is from how it appears from the edge of the water. From above you can see streams and ponds that you wouldn't know existed from below, and the adventurer in me wants to find a way to get to these isolated areas of wilderness.

The Saranac Chain of lakes from Ampersand Mtn.

A not-so-inconspicuous loon nest

 The other thing that my mind sees in the lakes below is where I've found that the Common Loons make their territories in the summer months. By mid-November the loons that breed here have already left for larger waters, heading to the coast of New England and the mid-Atlantic states to spend the winter on the open ocean. Some of them will make a brief stop at Lake Champlain before making their final flight to the coast, and many are there right now. Most people associate loons with the wilderness of the north, but in fact they spend the majority of their lives on the open ocean, and only come on land to nest. Loons are bigger than most people realize, and are extremely awkward on land. For this reason their nests are often easy to find, rarely more than a foot or two from the water's edge, though some do in fact hide them well amongst vegetation. How they nest is just one example of how individual loons vary in behavior, in fact each loon that I've surveyed over the past two summers has had a different personality. On the Saranac Lakes this fall I had a pair that nested in Hungry Bay, tucked into a little passageway that leads back to another small pond (but due to beaver dams it isn't navigable by boat). This pair was fairly tolerant of my presence so long as I didn't get too close to the nest. When I did get close to the nest to check on whether their eggs had hatched the male would swim right up to

A female loon comes off her nest to stretch her wings and preen

my boat and raise himself off the water to threaten me with his size. Some loons would also be very vocal, yodelling loudly when their nest is approached, but this loon chose to be stealthy, and would surprise me every time by coming up from a dive right next to my boat, trying to stare me down. Whenever I approach a nest I do so as quickly as possible to minimize the stress on the loons, so that they do not waste precious energy trying to fend me off. If there is a female incubating on the nest I'll keep my distance and wait patiently for her to take a break to feed to approach the nest, which doesn't always work and sometimes I have to come back another day. The unfortunate truth, however, is that not all people take caution when they are near a loon nest. The Hungry Bay pair laid two eggs in early mid-June, so the eggs should have hatched in the second week of July. However, when I visited the nest shortly after the 4th of July weekend I found 2 eggs with no parent loons in sight. It seemed that over the holiday weekend the loons had abandoned their nest. Since Middle Saranac is a very popular lake for boaters and is swamped by boat traffic on busy weekends it is highly likely that the nest was abandoned due to human disturbance.
With dozens of islands and a number of boggy coves one would expect that Middle Saranac would have a number of nesting pairs of loons, but this past summer that was not the case. The Hungry Bay pair was the only nesting pair I found, though I did find some banded loons in two other areas of the lake that did not seem to be mated. The lake was a pretty popular hangout for loons toward the end of the season, and on one visit I saw a group of 7 loons on Middle Saranac, which was quite the sight. Loons are extremely territorial during nesting season, with unmated loons constantly challenging mated pairs in duels that can sometimes lead to death. An example of this occurred on Silver Lake last year, when a newly arrived pair of loons killed the chick of the pair that had nested on the lake's only island for a number of years. Having seized the territory, the new pair nested on the island this year, successfully raising one chick. The old pair remained at the other end of the lake for the season, unable to find a place to nest. But when nesting season ends all is forgiven and loons aggregate in fairly large groups, where they can cooperatively feed. Sometimes small groups of loons will swim together in a small circle, generating a whirlpool to trap fish beneath them to feed on. This can be quite the sight, and is a great reason to look for loons in late summer and fall after the chicks have already grown.

Feeding time for a pair of loons and their 6 week old chick

Working as a loon observer in the summer is truly one of the most rewarding jobs I could ever ask for, and I'm always sad when the season ends. Sometimes when I'm paddling out at dawn and the sun is rising through the mist over the lake I can't believe I'm actually getting paid to see such a sight. I have this same thought when I'm watching a pair of loons feeding small fish to their adorable chicks, or watching a newborn chick resting on the mother's back. It is an amazing experience and I can't wait for next summer to arrive so that I can do it all over again.

Sunrise over Middle Saranac from the South Creek outlet