Loons doing many things (10 pics)

[Steve Foss]

Between getting the dock in and the water pump fixed and the boat in and all the other stuff opening the cabin near Bemidji this weekend, there was a little time to get out late in the evening and find loons lit by the setting sun. Enjoy.

Nabbing a crayfish

Swallowing a pike whole. Never saw a loon eat something this big. It struggled, all right, but got it down. This is about a 1.5 pound fish.

Getting ready

From the side

All the way up

From the rear

In the act of preening — and dodging the bad bugs

Just being buggy

[floating minnow]

All the images you posted today are great but I like this last one the best.

[buzzsaw]

WOW, Steve in my very humble opinion, those are the best pictures you have posted!! It's NOT even close! The water was perfect glass and you absolutely nailed those pictures. I'm sure somebody else will be able to nit pick and find a pixel out of place or something, but I may call you and donate some $$ to your camera fund for one of those prints! Get those published!

[Steve Foss]

Thanks Buzz. I appreciate that a lot.

I mentioned this once in a different thread, but I shot loons with digital, Velvia 50 and Kodachrome 64 two years ago. Shot them side-by-side, laying down the digital to pick up the film camera, and so on. None of the film shots captured greens in the loon's head, and virtually no greens in the loon's neck. And it was the same loon from the same angle in the same light. The digital nailed the subtle greens.

I've already got someone who wants to buy a couple. Several of them will be in this next week's Timberjay, too.

Man, that one eating the pike was one hungry loon, too. Bet it still isn't hungry now, two days later.

[buzzsaw]

You've got mail!

[Dbl]

Beautiful shots Steve. I saw a loon last fall eat a 1 lb walleye. They munch them down quick. My two favorites are the "just buggy", and the last shot. Excellent photos.

Dan

[Steve Foss]

Buzz, you've got mail back!

[hobbydog]

The one eating the pike, while technically not as good as the others, to catch one downing a pike on film is awsome....That needs to go into the Minnesota Volunteer. I think it would surprise a lot of people. And it was out of season as well. Did you have others in the sequence?

My favorite is the last one....I would call it "soft reflections" with water and loon reflecting on each other.

[DTro]

I'd like to throw in my vote for the last one also, a calming effect is felt just looking at it, they all are outstanding though.

[Tom Wilson]

Steve, very gorgeous, but 3, 10 and 1 are all outstanding. Very nice. 3 or 10 would be my favorites. Beautiful light on those.

Tom W

[jonny_redhorse]

just plain wonderful images of the loon!..I think the loon preening is my favorite!...... jonny

[Steve Foss]

Thanks everbody. The one with the loon eating the pike is a crop. Biggest print I can get out of it would be 8x10, but it's quite sharp. I was a bit farther away from it than the others, and my boat was rocking like crazy because another boat had gone by and its waves were making me feel nasty just as that loon came up with the fish. There are three others in that burst, but they are not sharp because of the boat movement.

[MarchelRipley1]

Very nice series, can't say anymore than that.