Water Dance...

or "asylum", or "raft", or "cry"..choose any one of those collective words to represent a group of loons - they are all in use!  No matter what you call it, it is a very special treat to see a group of loons. I have never seen 5 ...one is common, a pair is frequent, but more than that - seldom! Five? Wow...

We stalked those loons for ages...and watched them with delight... Unfortunately, they were far enough out on the water to evade our lenses..neither one of us had the right equipment to get a really tight shot, but it was the experience of watching them for that length of time - as they fished out front, then swam into our back bay, carried on like kids at play or at war games, and then departed off to new horizons...THAT we will never forget! 

So, what to call them?...I like a "water dance of loons" as they did just that - flitting across the water as if trying to take off, standing up with wings spread...but I can see why the originator of the term "asylum" thought it was appropriate. He had said, at the time, that there really wasn't a word to adequately describe loons in groups. First of all you seldom see them in groups and when they do congregate "the things they do are kind of crazy- they get in fights and in the process, kill each other, and sometimes swim in weird formations in post-breeding" season... Well, that is what we witnessed this morning - strange behaviour. There were skirmishes, loud calls we had never heard before, much splashing about and chasing each other.. We could see where the expression "crazy as a loon" came from! And how an "asylum of loons" became part of the language.

In the process of following the loons around the island shoreline, I found my new frog-friend sitting in his usual spot at the water's edge..A boat went by, sending its wake toward us and it was hilarious watching the frog hustle into the reeds and actually hang on to them with both front feet as the waves pushed him to and fro...like he too was doing a "water dance"! ( extra) 

Then, as planned, my sister and I took the canoe out again, switching paddling roles today as she wanted to practise being at the stern. We were still marvelling at that big fish or whatever that scared us yesterday by leaping out of the water right next to the stern and splashing water all over me   - You guessed it - the same thing happened again today! The only difference was, the fish was just a little further away and my sister did not get wet!   What did we have there? A water-dancing fish?  Definitely one that does not like boats! 

What a day - and tonight my brother is coming for dinner..a great way to end my stay here at the cottage. I head home tomorrow morning, but will return in two weeks...