I’ve always wanted to hear one of those haunting loon calls in person, and I finally got the chance in March.
There is a village located about 35 miles north of Madison that has a lovely park surrounded by a lake. Every spring Common Loons drop in to feed and rest on their way to their summer breeding grounds in Northern Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Canada.
It can be challenging to try to photograph loons because they can stay under water for more than 40 seconds. And because they can dive as deep as 250 feet, they may resurface dozens of feet away from where they initially disappeared from view.
I’ve seen loons on Madison lakes as well, but they are usually so far out into the water that they are just blips in my binoculars. That’s why I love this little park. The loons swim very close to the shore, and you can get a good look at them as they swim and dive for fish.
Common Loons prefer to eat perch and sunfish, but when fish are scarce they will also eat things like crayfish and insect larvae.
Common Loons are only in our part of Wisconsin for a few weeks each March and early April. So if the weather cooperates, it’s always worth the short trip to see (and hear) them in action.