Episode Information

You're fishing on a northern lake, when a black-and-white shape torpedoes under your boat. Alerted by the sound of your reel, a Common Loon follows the trout in hot pursuit. If the fish is small, the loon may take it right off the end of your line. If you succeed in bringing the fish to hand, the loon will wait for your release, in hopes of making a meal of the tired fish. In either case, to feed itself, the bird has learned to take advantage of the human.
Learn more about the Common Loon at Cornell's AllAboutBirds. And sign up for the BirdNote podcast!