Wilson Lake Loons — Parent Feeding the Baby, originally uploaded by pmarkham.

Over the Independence Day holiday, I visited my friends Jenny and Pete at their cabin on Wilson Lake. Wilson Lake is a beautiful little piece of paradise located about 30 miles north of Finland, MN and it is right at the edge of the Superior National Forest. The lake is gorgeous and the whole area is teaming with wildlife. While I was there, I personally saw loons, seagulls, yellow perch, mergansers, turkey vultures, bald eagles, deer, muskrat, and moose.

I was absolutely fascinated by the loons. In my trips around the lake, I counted six adult loons. Two of them did not appear to be mates. The other four were mating pairs and each pair had two babies. I had never seen a baby loon until this trip. They are beautiful and it was extraordinary to watch the parents teach their young how to dive and fish. It was also extraordinary to watch the parents feed their young and carry them on their backs. Absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to go back and photograph more of this beautiful place.