Why Do Loons Chicks Ride on Their Parent’s Back?
Once the chicks hatch, they ride on their parent’s back for the first two to three weeks of life. Back riding protects them from underwater predators and keeps them warm when they snuggle into the soft down under their parent’s wings. Of course, they keep on looking for a free ride way past their three weeks of development just as they keep on looking for a free meal well past their own diving and fishing abilities!
This column is brought to you by the Belgrade Lakes Association’s Loon Preservation Project in order to support our loon population in the very best sustainable manner but this effort requires your support. Please support the Loon Preservation Project at your earliest opportunity via www.blamaine.org.
If you have a particular questions regarding our Belgrade loon population, please email your inquiry to info@blamaine.org and we will try to answer your question either in this column or via email. Have a great summer enjoying the “Call of the Loon”!
Dick Greenan is chairman of the Belgrade Lakes Association’s Loon Preservation Project.
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