歪歪漫画

Earlier this spring, I was called into action to save a loon.

Occasionally, loons land on, well, land. Theories include that loons sometimes mistake parking lots and highways for waterways. Or perhaps some loons are forced to land in fields and terrestrial locations because of other factors, such as fatigue or injury.

Loons are not designed for earth-bound locomotion. It isn鈥檛 that loons can鈥檛 travel terrestrially, it鈥檚 that they are slow and not very efficient.

Their feet and legs are positioned far posterior on their bodies, so walking is almost impossible. Loons tend to scoot on their bellies in a near otter-like fashion if they do find themselves needing to travel over land.

As such, a landed loon is a vulnerable loon. From time to time, a marooned loon appreciates a helping hand.

My loon rescue this spring was called in by Hubbard County Highway Department staff about a loon that found itself smack-dab in the middle of a busy county highway southwest of Bemidji. Sure enough, when I arrived in my truck, the loon was sitting on the center line of the highway as if it were incubating a clutch of eggs.

In a moment, I captured the uninjured loon with a fish landing net and carried the loon to a plastic tote. In the next moment, I was on my way to a nearby lake to release the loon. The bird represented the third marooned loon I鈥檝e rescued in my career.

No worse for wear, the loon enthusiastically swam, bathed, drank, flapped its wings and vocalized while I observed from the shore. Its enchanting voice echoing across the bay brought a smile to my face.

Indeed, there aren鈥檛 many sounds in nature that are more stirring than the cry of a loon. The varied cries, calls and yodels are quintessentially primordial and the epitome of wild and wilderness. On moonlit and calm nights from northern Minnesota lakes, the long and mournful calls of lone loons are as soothing as they are eerie.

Perhaps what especially captivates us about the bird鈥檚 vocal repertoire has not so much to do with the call itself, but the settings in which we often hear our state birds calling from. The Northwoods lakes, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and other secluded lakes throughout northern Minnesota are the stages where loons perform.

The 鈥渨ail," which is often described as mournful, is a regularly heard call of loons in search of one another, and the beautiful 鈥測odel鈥� call, which is the territorial call of male loons, is another familiar call that many of us associate with northern Minnesota.

The "hoot" is another familiar loon call that is associated with mated pairs, particularly those caring for chicks. The hoot is as recognizable as the "tremolo" call, which is usually described as laughing. The tremolo vocalization is a hearty call given by excited or alarmed loons. The wavering call is also produced by loons flying over a lake to announce his or her presence to any loons that might be swimming on the lakes below them.

Other loon rescues that I鈥檝e been involved with included a comical rescue that a couple of friends and I conducted at a flooded local gravel pit.

The poor bird didn鈥檛 have enough surface area to launch a takeoff from, and thus needed a rescue. We eventually caught the loon, but not without capsizing the canoe and becoming completely drenched.

Another rescue was that of a loon in the front yard of a rural landowner. It was a simple rescue as animal captures go, but the homeowner and I were perplexed at how the loon wound up marooned on her lawn. I guess we鈥檒l never know.

Lucky we are to have loons. We鈥檙e the only state to have adopted this fascinating and wonderful bird as our official state bird. Beautiful, emblematic of our state and unique among all wild birds, loons are a bird to treasure and protect as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.