August

Range of the Common Loon

Parent loons are still taking care of their chicks, who are growing much larger now. Sometimes the father goes to one part of a lake with one chick while the mother goes to another with the other chick. If the lake's fish supplies seem to be dwindling, the parents will sometimes fly to another lake to feed while the still-flightless babies remain. Parents are starting to molt their body feathers, a molt that lasts well into winter. But they'll keep their old flight feathers until late winter.