Chasing Lighthouses and Loons

This summer found me driving up North- way up north! Prince Edward Island was the end destination but the stops along the way were pure magic.

Driving up the coast of Maine is everything one would think it is. A mash of green and blue where the pines meet the ocean. Jagged rocks with alpine backdrops call to be photographed.

The birds who held my attention this summer were Atlantic Puffins and Common Loons.

The word "common" is so comical as these birds are anything but. The Common Loon transforms from late spring until autumn. Their grey and white plumage morphs into a sleek black, white and green. Their eyes become redder with gorgeous vertical stripes decorating their neck. Use my search box to see the different shots of the plumage. They are in their breeding plumage, returning to their nesting area looking for their partner. They build their nest on lakes up north, most times close to shore. They also use manmade nests that are created by loon conservationists. 

Atlantic Puffins spend around nine months out on the vast ocean. In the summer they come back and nest on rocky cliffs. They will dig a shallow hole to place their eggs.

Both the Puffin and the Loon are found in not so easy places. One must travel by boat to see a puffin or walk the perimeter of a large lake, hoping to see a loon taking care of its young.

They both have to work extremely hard to take care of their loonlets and pufflings. The puffin flies off the cliff into the ocean searching for fish. They can dive up to 200 feet below the surface. The loon looks for his prey in lakes, matching the puffin's dive and raising it by 50 feet!

It is always awe-inspiring to witness a bird living its life. Yet watching puffins and loons is truly spectacular.

What is even more magical is hearing a loon call. When I was ignorant to the sound,  years ago, I thought it was a coyote howl! In Southwest Harbor, I was able to hear all four calls (wail, tremolo, yodel, and hoot). I even got to witness two parents calling back to each other with one flying in for a landing.

Besides loons and puffins, I visited at least five lighthouses. The one pictured above is the Mulholland Point Lighthouse. It is shared by Canada and the United States. You can see it from beautiful Lubec, Maine (also pictured above). You have to cross a short bridge from the U.S. to Campobello Island, Canada. If feels out of place to be stopped by border control- so much so, I started asking the agent questions about the lighthouse and island before they could get a word in. My husband jokingly said, "My wife has a ton of questions, might you have some for us"? Luckily they laughed and then asked us if we had drugs or weapons. We did not.

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