A Season with the Loons: S3 Ep 1 Will this year be better? & the attitude shift I learned after 40.
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- I am back for third year with loons! In this episode I visit my loon pond to see if my same loon pairs have returned and nested in spring after a very difficult year for them last year at this location.
Drone shot notes: I shot the drone footage in April well before any loon nesting in an area it was legal to do so. Further I did not launch the drone until the loons where nowhere close (like 1/4 mile away) and there were no people on the pond at all at that time either. If loons are around, or nesting, I would urge you not to fly a drone and certainly never intentionally near them.
To catch up view season one here • A Season with the Loon...
and season 2 • A Second Season with t...
To view a photo gallery from this project on my website
• A Season with the Loon...
My website www.jwelchphoto.com
Instagram @johnwelchphotography
*Important: Notes on ethically observing and photographing loons*
I photographed this season using 800mm equivalent focal length and abided by ethical guidelines. You should not simply paddle right up to loons. Not all loons will be tolerant of humans and learn to read their behavioral signals. The loons in my films are tolerant.
Please educate yourself on loon behavior and the ethics of observing loons before attempting to observe them in the wild. Some guidelines can be found here. In summary, loons have various state and federal protections, and harassing them can be a criminal offense, carrying fines and even jail time. You will be watched on lakes by other boaters and homeowners on developed lakes. While loons are on the nest, they are particularly vulnerable to human disturbance, including kayakers and photographers. I personally chose not to even photograph them at this time, and if you must, keep your visit very brief and from a far distance. Once the chicks have hatched, loon’s tolerance for human presence will vary from individual to individual. Do disrupt their ability to hunt and feed the chicks. General guidelines for how far to stay from them is 100 feet to 100 yards. However, it is allowable for loons to swim up to you on their own (though you must be mindful that you are not drifting into them), which is what happened in some of the close-up footage and photos as two of my loon pairs were very tolerant.
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I love that loon call. It has to be one of the most incredible animal sounds. Thanks for the vid!
John glad you’re back! Being out in Nature sure helps balance a life.
You’ve been a blessing to us all.
Thank you Tim. Yes, that is a great point. Spending time in nature has always been a constant way to provide balance in all the phases of my life.
YAY!!
WELCOME BACK!
WE ARE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU
AND
THE LOONS 😊!
Thank you Sue! I appreciate it and definitely hope things are better for the loons this year!
Oh, BTW,
I read somewhere that
LOONS DO RECOGNIZE US
As long as you are near
Multiple Times in the Season!
AMAZING BIRDS👍
I am so happy to see an upload from you!! I love the loons! Watching now 😊
Thanks so much, I appreciate the support! Hope you have had some good recent travels!
Seeing someone who genuinely loves what they are doing is so refreshing. Great episode John,
Looking forward to the next
Thanks Chris, I do appreciate that complement. After more than 20 years of exploring the wild in different capacities, I still am enthralled and love how way leads upon way out here. Glad that came across in the video.
😊
Thank you!
Awesome so lovely video. Nature scenery is amazing & thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Sandip! It is pretty out there
Cool, lots of good information! We had fun watching a pair in fog a week or two ago. I should suggest your channel to my husband, he loves loons!
That's great you got to see some loons. The fog is one of my favorite conditions for them. Please suggest away!
Really looking forward to your videos this year!
Thank you Diane! I am happy to be out there making them.
I really enjoyed your narrative and reflections on life. Fantastic footage! :)
Thanks for checking it out and leaving such kind feedback! Appreciate it!
Great video! I love the calm in nature 😊
Thank you for watching and leaving that kind comment!
John, I enjoyed this, very well done.
Thanks Peanut! I appreciate the compliment!
Great vlog, John! Awesome start to the season and glad to hear the loon pairs are well. Good points about loon ethics, I once unknowingly was staked out at a sight a loon was building their nest at. My first thought was oh great this is epic! But then realized I was unwanted and paddled the heck out of dodge. Looking forward to the upcoming vlogs!
Thanks Liam! And glad you shared that anecdote, even still sometimes I come across some situation in wildlife photography and get excited but then have to check that and think things through from the animals perspective. I will check out your new wildlife video, glad you had time to make one amid the home remodel. With 3 kids myself, the most home improvement I can muster right now is clearing a path on the floor so no one trips!
@@johnwelchphotographyI could only imagine trying to do it all with kids! That’ll come soon enough but for now the home reno is already cutting down my wildlife time! All good problems to have. I’m headed up to Acadia (Schoodic side) for a few days during the 4th, seeing your vlog has got me thinking of targeting loons at Jones Pond. Good luck, talk soon!
Great episode! I’m totally taking notes to help me with my episodes😂. I’m not sure people realize the work that goes into something of this quality.
Thanks Bill! Yes, as you know, it takes way more time than people would think. I am still learning as I go. I guess I try to think about story when I make my videos, even though I don't really know the story when I am out in the wild.
Wonderful work!!
Thank you very much, appreciate the compliment!
My twins just started college ❤
Wow, empty nester now? That is hard for me to contemplate.
Loons of course, travel to many water bodies local to them and cheat on each other with other loons all of the time.
its hard to listen to you catering to the haters..... either you shoot wildlife or you explain and justify yourself to the Karens of the world
Thanks for the feedback Jeff. Interesting to hear that's how some of the segments came across. In my head the purpose of those parts is to address a wide audience, many of whom may not be familiar with the practice of wildlife photography and give a sense of the etiquette and in my state, the law (there are fines and imprisonment for 'loon harassment'), regarding approaching loons. I have witnessed some people with cell phones paddle right up to loons with chicks and freak them out, so I guess that is more what I had in mind rather than online haters. I am shooting at 800mm effective focal length, and sometimes cropping, so I just didn't want to give the expectation that you can get so close as to fill the frame on a cell phone. But thank you again for the constructive feedback.