Loons are racing around on the surface, perhaps to help shed some worn feathers for new feathers, anticipating their migration to New England's and Florida's- ocean waters. (With "intermediate stops" at fresh water lakes).
Last week, a seagull appeared to dive on a Loon, which was surfacing every five seconds. I gradually sailed closer to the Loon (within six feet) and saw it near a dense school of 1" fish. There were a few tiny fish from that school that were apparently stunned by the Loon, and the seagull was snapping them up.
A similar school of small fish was at Carry Beach last week, and from the road you could see 14 Mergansers racing in the shallowest areas trying to catch them—making "rooster tails" with their heads.
On a later afternoon, sitting on the 58-degree porch being comforted by an electric infra-red heater—I again saw two seagulls "acting-up" in a narrow area of the opposite shore. I picked up binoculars, and sure enough, a total of three Loons eventually surfaced.
I've been watching for decades, so I'm definitely
late to this "game" of Loon and Seagull.
