A Wee Bit Loony...or The Call of the Will-o'-the-Wisps!

   In winter here on the Bayou, it is not an uncommon occurrence to hear some mighty strange sounds coming over the water.  Most folks up north who live near lakes will quickly recognize the noise as the call of a loon.  Some find the call a bit unsettling but I, on the contrary, find the wail more comforting.

   Although the Common Loon has several different calls, it is the wail that I hear the most often. Loons most often sleep on the water and very rarely come ashore.  Their large feet and heavy bodies make them almost clumsy while trying to walk.  On the water, the birds are most graceful.  Since they doze while floating, the wail is a way to keep tabs on each other if they drift apart.  The "hoot" is another method of tracking. This is a softer, shorter call than the wail.  (Also, just because it is called a hoot, don't think it sounds like an owl. To me it sounds more like some lonely puppy than an owl.) Male loons do a "yodel" as a territorial call.  This I rarely hear as it is more prominent during mating season when the birds are far north of here.  

  Like I said, I love to hear the loons and only wish that they would hang around during summer. Then I could keep the windows open at night and listen to the loons' haunting calls.  In the meantime, I listen to the wails as often as I can and know that the loons are near.  These wails give substance to another of my tall tales of the Bayou.  I have a tendency to tell unsuspecting folks that the calls are those of the Will-o'-the-Wisps that live in the marshes.  Ahh, yes!  Will-o'-the-Wisps...those fairy beings that lure folks into the marsh with their wee lights and hauntingly beautiful songs!  I LOVE MY BAYOU!