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The forecast called for a nice weekend so Karla and I took the tent and camped at Savanna Portage State Park. As we were setting up the tent Karla noticed that a loon family was out on the lake. We rented a canoe so that in the morning I could get some photos. After dark we heard both the loons and a barred owl calling from across the lake. Come sunrise I found the loons feeding their baby in the early morning fog.

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I followed them for a while so they could get used to me. If loons get nervous and start calling it is good to back off and let them alone. This family had been around people and just went about their daily activities as if I wasn’t there.

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It was such a calm morning I just floated in my canoe watching the interaction between both adults as they trained their baby in the art of how to catch a minnow.

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A few times they approached me so close that I couldn’t use my telephoto lens and had to grab my other camera. Several times I could see them chasing minnows under the canoe.

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The only time one of the adults got nervous was when the baby came up on the other side of the canoe and neither adult could see it.

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This baby was already several weeks old and starting to get a few feathers. It could dive pretty well and would stay under for some time chasing minnows with its parents. I never did see the baby catch a minnow but the parents didn’t seem to have any problem running them down.

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It was a very pleasant Saturday morning in a Minnesota State Park.

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