In the closing weeks of this past spring, I managed a visit to Nescopeck State Park. Nescopeck takes a little extra effort to get to, so it has long been on my list of “I’d like to go there” places, but across the span of many years I’ve only made one actual visit, and it was brief and honestly I don’t remember it well.
So it was a bit of a whim to drive down, and I got a later start that is usually ideal when one wants to go birding, arriving in the late morning. Without any real plan, and no desire to do any serious hiking, I parked at the visitor center and made several loops around Lake Frances.
Amid the surprising variety of birds I found was a solitary loon, bobbing on the lake.
Loons have a special place in my heart, with their eerie calls and associations with wild northwoods places, and foggy mornings on quiet, remote lakes. Although I’ve encountered them many times now, a new sighting never fails to excite me. This individual was very patient, content to be watched and watch me back.