LOONS

Writing of loons the other day has caused me to consult the archives of The Study.

A few loon facts:

Loons can fly at speeds of 60-90 miles per hour.
Whew!

Flight altitude can be anywhere between a foot or two off the water to as much as 1500 feet.

Loons can remain under water for as long as three minutes.
They can dive as deep as 150 feet.

This last fact reminds me of a conversation I had with a diver some years ago in Copper Harbor, Michigan.
He told us that he was diving on a wreck off Isle Royale (sp?) and all of a sudden, looking up from his rummaging with whatever he was investigating, a diving loom swam rapidly by him.
Imagine!

One of our favorite pastimes in Copper H. was to pack our food and camp stools and binoculars and coffee out to a promontory on Lake Manganese in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and spend a few hours watching for the critters.

We were rarely disappointed.

But we never saw two pairs at once as we did a few days ago.

And that reminds me that a favorite store in town is The Laughing Loon, a delightful shop operated by a naturalist and his wife.

Have not been up there in years – too many years.

Perhaps this could be the year for a visit.