Ice Off, Loons On! Photo Woody Hagge Loons return to their northern lakes almost immediately after the ice goes out—when the lake water temperatures are barely above freezing. These lovely, goose-sized birds can easily fly about 55-60 miles per hour. Flying several hours a day at a normal, steady speed, it doesn't take them long to reach their northern lakes. Looking and Listening for Loons Do you know what to look and listen for? Swimming cormorants and mergansers look a LOT like loons, especially in poor light. You'll see what we mean when you check out Journey North's Loon ID page and Loon Dictionary. Then go out to open lakes to look and listen for these large swimming and diving birds. Report your sightings to Journey North! Photo Dr. F.G.Irwin Meet Jay Magers! After you hear the basic loon calls, youll be ready to test your skills. Meet Jay Magers, who studies loon communications, and see what kinds of challenges his research gives him. Jay lets you hear AND see yodels he recorded on loon lakes in northern Wisconsin during summer. If you heard two loons yodeling, could you tell which sound came from a larger loon? Meet Jay and learn some tips for listening to loon yodels.Then, using the sounds and sonagrams, see if you can be a loon scientist and answer Jay's questions: Yo! Yodel Studies By Jay Magers Clip: Taking Off! Watch It Now Tips Scouting a Territory Once loons are back, they stake out their territories. Researcher Dr. Walter Piper reminds us: "It's a great battle in a loon's life—whether female or male—to first acquire a territory and then hold on to that territory over time, despite many intruders coming in and trying to take its territory away." What's the fuss about? What makes a good loon territory? Like us, loons need food and shelter to survive. Every spring each pair of loons needs to find a lake where they can find a good nesting place, where the food will be abundant enough to support the pair and their two chicks. How do they decide which lake to choose? Jay Magers gives us the maps of four lakes he studied in Wisconsin. Learn how to judge a lake for quality loon habitat from a loon's point of view, and then make your choice: What Makes a Good Loon Territory? Try This! Journaling Questions Can you calculate how fast one radio-tracked loon was flying? (See Loon #15746: Fantastic Flyer) How do a loon's beak, eyes, legs, and feet stay warm when the bird is exposed to cold ocean water and northern lakes where the ice has just gone out? (See Who Needs Wet Suits With Feathers Like These? ) Did you take off with a loon through Dr. Walter Piper's video lens (above)? Write a paragraph that describes a loon's take-off. Include a topic sentence that states your impression, and then write details that help your reader "picture" the action. For more, read what Dr. Piper tells you to watch for in the video clip. Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form