Dave and the Loon

Hillsdale county sits directly next to the county I grew up in. Wait, actually no; I just realized it sits two counties away from my home county. So obviously I know nothing about Hillsdale county, let alone have ever been there. But that changed on June 23rd.

For about a month on the Birding Michigan Facebook page, people had been posting the most stunning photos of a Red-throated Loon that was in Lake Baw Beese in the city of Hillsdale. This was strange, however, the Red-throated Loon is just a migrant here, it should’ve been up in the high Arctic with a mate and fledglings. But here it was an hour and a half away and it seemed like I had such a good chance of seeing it up close. Nevertheless, I made up excuses for not driving out there,

Ehh work was hard and hot today

It’s going to be too late by the time I get back

I’ve got laundry to do

Need to go to the grocery store today!

For over a week I made up excuses not to drive out there to see this bird and to my disbelief the bird was still there. Finally, after Murphy informed me that her mom had gone and seen it, I decided it was my time to go as well. Trying to make the most of my trip, I decided I’d bring my bike and do a short ride if I had time to do so. After I loaded it in the back and grabbed a few snacks, I was on my way.

Having never been to this lake before, I really had no idea where I was going. It looked like most of the lake was surrounded by private property, but there was a park that stretched across a good portion of the Northern side, so I decided to head there.

Lake Baw Beese in Hillsdale, relative to SE Michigan

I parked in one of the first lots I could find and walked up to the edge of the lake, for the most part, mowed grass went all the way up the edge of the water. With binoculars in hand I just began walking along the shore, scanning all of the water in my field of vision. It soon dawned on me that this could be quite an endeavor. This was not a small lake and this bird could be anywhere: could be right along shore, could be in the marsh on the southeast side, could be way out in the middle of the lake. I kept along the shoreline as best as I could , but there were a few areas where the shoreline had a natural edge that was unmaintained, which kept me from seeing some portions of the water.

A significant amount of time was beginning to pass, and I was getting restless. I was standing in a picnic area when I looked down the shoreline and saw several boats docked. Alright, I told myself, I’m going to walk just past the boats and if I don’t see it I’m going to turn around. As I approached the boats I saw a mand leaning against a tree with a camera and a large telephoto lens. This guys gotta know what’s up. I headed straight to him. He saw me coming and turned towards me, 

“You here for the Loon?” he asked. “Ohhh yesss,” I said. 

“Well he was just right here a few minutes ago swimming around the boats, but I haven’t seen him for a little while”

“No way!”

Dave, was the man’s name, I would guess he was in his late 50s or early 60s and he was wearing long-sleeves, a wide brimmed hat, and gloves. I thought it was strange attire for late June, but surmised that he had a sun-allergy that forced him to keep most of skin covered; something that would be very important for someone who spends significant time outside photographing birds.

We were chatting for a few minutes before he cut me off mid sentence, “There he is!” He yelled in a muffled tone as he pointed to an area around the boats. We quickly walked over, keeping some distance between the shore and ourselves so as to not startle it. Any time we were about to get a good look at it, it dove under the boats or the docks in pursuit of fish. Unsure of which direction it was going we scanned the water every time it went under, waiting for it to come back up. It came up enough times that Dave was able to get some good photos, but me, being an idiot, decided not to bring my camera so had to make do with my phone and my binoculars.

A first glimpse. Remember kids: always bring your good camera.

Eventually we lost the Loon for awhile. Dave suggested we split up, he would go north up the shore and I would go south, if one of us saw him, we’d step back from the shore a bit and wave our hands like maniacs until the other person saw. A few minutes had passed since our split and I was stepping back and waving my arms at Dave trying to get his attention, eventually he noticed me and began to jog over. The Loon hadn’t gone far and was hanging out in the water where trees and shrubs were growing along the shore so there were only a few spots to be able to see him. 

For forty minutes Dave and I followed that bird along the shore as it swam at incredible speeds to catch fish. At one point Dave and I were looking around the water to see where it had resurfaced when suddenly I feel a WHACK on my shoulder, it was Dave signaling to me that the Loon was literal feet in front of me on the water. I had anticipated it to be further out and was completely over looking the area directly in front of me. I finally was able to get some “decent” pictures through my binoculars.

The natural vegetation along the shore, keeping us at a distance from the Loon

The Loon was so close to the shore that I overlooked it, resulting in a shoulder hit from Dave.
Here it is investigating for fish.

Not only does the Loon sport a deep red patch on the front of its throat, it also has white striping on the back of its neck.

AHHHHHHH

Unfortunately, I never did get a decent picture of the birds namesake, although it can just barely be seen in this photo of the bird preening itself far from shore.

Dave, however, was not satisfied with his pictures yet. The sun was getting low and he was waiting for the bird to be facing the sun, so that beautiful red throat would be bright in his photos. The bird began to drift further out, away from us. He turned on his side to preen, stuck his legs out to stretch and even gave us a nice big flap of the wings while still in the water. Dave and I decided that was probably going to be it for photo opportunities and so we eventually parted ways; he had a longer drive home than I did and I still wanted to ride a few miles on my bike.

All-in-all, Dave and I spent around an hour together, which in the course of life, is no time at all. But I have told many people about my time seeing the Red-throated Loon and my time with Dave and it is an event that I probably won’t forget. I mean, without Dave I probably wouldn’t have even seen the bird! I am quite grateful that I found him when I did.

As much as I’d like to end this story on a happy note, I cannot. Only a few weeks after my encounter with Dave and the Loon, I learned that the Loon had been found dead. There were no signs of foul play and the DNR supposedly took it in for an autopsy, however, no news about it has been released. Speculation on the death of the bird was heavy on the Birding Michigan Facebook page:

Starvation

Botulism (which killed several Common Loons in Michigan in 2019)

Already sick

Something was wrong with its feathers

Etc.

But so far, nothing has been reported by the DNR.

Sometimes birds show up in places they aren’t supposed to be, like this Red-throated Loon, like a Brown Booby that was discovered in Ohio a few weeks ago, and like many others. Sometimes we don’t know the reason why these birds show up, but you better go see them while you can because you just don’t know what may happen to them.