Snow shovel away – check. Winter jacket stowed and sandals out – check. Glaciers on our lawn melted – check. Sand cleaned from parking lot – check. Ice out on the Tripp Lake in Poland Maine – check.
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However, the clearest sign that winter is over and spring is here for good is that the special residents of Tripp Lake have declared it so by their return. The eagles and loons are back! These beautiful birds are a sight to behold. And one beautiful eagle decided he was happy to be back and put on a show last week.
Eagles on Tripp Lake in Poland Maine
Once on both the US and Maine endangered species list, bald eagles have been making a comeback. Fortunately they are no longer on that list. I caught a glimpse of a two year old juvenile last week and raced for the camera, a Nikon D5200 with my new (this Christmas) AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm telephoto lens. What a spectacular bird! I hope you enjoy this slideshow as much as Sue and I do.
Not to be outdone, the adult bald eagle takes a great photo as well. The left image below is one I captured last summer, before I had the telephoto lens. Now you know why I wanted that new lens! The eagle is perched atop a dead white pine along our beach at the Wolf Cove Inn. The tree was struck by lightning a number of years back and with no foliage it provides a great vantage point for the predatory eagle to watch for unsuspecting prey. Eagles prefer high, unobstructed views so our pine is often visited by the eagles.
The second image was taken by one of our guests. He was out for a morning walk along our lakefront when he startled the eagle on our beach. Our guest was certainly quick with the cell phone camera!
Perched Bald Eagle
A Lake Neighbor Taking Flight
It will be fun to watch that juvenile eagle mature into an adult over the next few years.
Loons on Tripp Lake
Loon on Tripp Lake
A Loon in Flight Over Tripp Lake
The loons have also returned to Tripp Lake. We love having the windows open as their song is beautiful throughout the day and all night. On nights with cooler temperatures we love to open the windows and listen to the night sounds of the lake, including the songs of the loons.
We commonly have a pair of loons and a solo loon. Loons mate for life so the pair will return together over and over. The solo loon on the other hand will stay that way since he (or she) lost their mate a few years back.
June and July are breeding season for the loons. There is a small island at the south end of Tripp Lake where the loons nest. Lucky intrepid kayakers and canoers can paddle from the Wolf Cove Inn to the island rather easily (a little over a mile) to get up close and personal with the nester.
Loon on a Foggy Fall Morning
Bird Watchers and Nature Lovers
So all you bird watchers and nature lovers out there, with our eagle and loon neighbors we have plenty to offer here at the Wolf Cove Inn in Poland Maine. And we have two sets of binoculars (courtesy of my dad!) to aid you in your mission to observe the eagles and loons of Tripp Lake.
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