There’s big news on North Pond this week, the hatching of two loon chicks! The parents had made an unsuccessful attempt to nest earlier this summer on one of the islands, then found a rather precarious-looking spot near Johnny’s Bridge, on a tiny patch of debris composed of a dead tree and a bit of accumulated soil and vegetation. Jane Chandler had asked me to keep an eye on them for her while she was away visiting her grandchildren in England. She said she thought they had started nesting around July 6, which would have meant the egg (or eggs, as it turned out) was due to hatch any day, after the 26- to 30-day incubation period.
When I kayaked past on Saturday afternoon, I saw that one of the loon pair (let’s say it was the mom) was still sitting on the nest, and the other was in the water nearby. It wasn’t until I came back by that I noticed that the dad was carrying a tiny chick on his back. When I checked again early on Sunday morning, the mom was still on the nest and the dad and the first baby were still sticking close by. Just a little while later, someone posted a photo on Facebook of a chick in the nest beside the mom, so either it had hatched earlier and she was hiding it, or it hatched between the time I paddled by and the time someone (with a better camera) went by later that morning.
It’s late in the season for loon chicks to be just hatching, but I’ve read that it only takes them about 12 weeks to be fully independent, at which point the parents depart on their annual migration (for our western Maine loons, that probably means to salt water off the southern Maine coast, although some travel further), leaving the juveniles to fend for themselves. They then form social groups with other young loons and head out on their own migration, usually one to two weeks later.
I’m hoping that timeline will allow the North Pond chicks to make their escape before the lake freezes, although I’m a little worried that they have hatched so much later than the chicks on other local ponds that they won’t have other young loons for company by the time they’re ready to go. First, though, I’ll have to spend the next several weeks worrying about predators like snapping turtles and bald eagles. It’s a tough world out there.
After a bit of a lull in news during the first part of the summer, I’ve been hearing about enough upcoming events recently to go back to the calendar listing format I was using during the busy spring season. Here’s what people have let me know about recently:
Thursday, August 7, at 1 p.m. in the Twitchell Education Building at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: The annual Mill Brook Craft Series opens with a presentation by quilter Donna Gillis on memory quilts. Donna creates each unique and beautiful quilt from clothing once worn by the person it honors, and in the process tells an emotionally powerful life story. She will bring her current project, “Once Upon a Time I Was Little,” made from clothing worn by a little girl who is now a young woman entering college. All programs in the series are free and open to the public.
Friday, August 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel: American Red Cross blood drive. Go to the website redcrossblood.org to sign up for a time slot. There is always a critical need for blood donations, especially during the summer, and your donation could save a life.
Thursday, August 14, at 1 p.m. in the Twitchell Education Building at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: The Mill Brook Craft Series continues with “Meet the Pollinators: Important Food Webs in Your Garden,” a presentation by Maine Master Naturalist Julie Reiff. A member of the Bethel Conservation Commission and the board of Inland Woods and Trails, Julie gives occasional nature walks for the Mahoosuc Land Trust and volunteers in the Habitat for All Garden at Valentine Farm.
Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Locke Mills Union Church: Combined yard sale and craft sale. There will also be a bottle drive during the same times, so gather up your returnables and bring them by to benefit the church. If you’re interested in having a table at the sale, please contact Rosie MacArthur at 207-357-4940.
Saturday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to noon: open hours at the Greenwood Historical Society on Main Street in Locke’s Mills. Come in to see the new exhibits and learn a bit about Greenwood’s history. (Note that GHS will be closed this Saturday, August 9.)
Sunday, August 17, at 5 p.m. on the Bethel Common: Mahoosuc Community Band summer concert. Simon Smith is conducting the band this summer. Please bring a chair or blanket to enjoy the free outdoor concert. Donations are gratefully accepted to help the band purchase new music and pay its conductor. The rain location will be at Bingham Auditorium at Gould Academy. The band rehearses on Mondays at 6:45 p.m. at the Gould music room, and new musicians are always welcome.
Thursday, August 21, at 1 p.m. in the Twitchell Education Building at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: Kevin Winsor will present a program on fly fishing, part of the Mill Brook Craft Series.
Thursday, August 28, at 1 p.m. in the Twitchell Education Building at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: “The Art of Paper Quilling” with Sara Hemeon, the final program in the Mill Brook Craft Series.
Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Locke Mills Union Church: Rosie MacArthur offers weekly country line dancing lessons. The cost is $5 per lesson, and there’s no need to pre-register; just drop in. The class welcomes all levels, including beginners, and if Tuesdays don’t work for you, or you want even more line dancing in your life, Rosie is also offering lessons on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 75 Main Street in Bethel.
If you have news or events you’d like included here, email me at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or call 207-890-4812. The next print edition of the Citizen will be the August 22 issue, but you can read the Locke’s Mills column online every week at amywchapman.com, or go to that website and subscribe for free to have it emailed to you each week.
“Loons are loons wherever they nest; they don’t alter their voices to conform to the landscape. They’re birds, not politicians.” – Dean Koontz
Love your dispatches. They are like a letter from home. 🥹