After three days of clouds, rain and cool weather, northern Minnesota was showing its finest shortly after sunrise this morning on Northstar Lake. The wind was dead calm which made for fantastic reflections. I first had to wait for the morning mist to burn off before I ventured out on the lake, but then it was a great time to be alive in the crisp, clean beautiful Northland. In total I found three different Common Loon families, and each family unit was willing to let me float nearby and record their morning activities.

The only downer was  one of the three families had obviously lost a chick since Saturday afternoon to predation (Muskies or Bald Eagles were the most likely predators). In fact, when a Bald Eagle flew overhead this morning the loons started a yodel which quickly spread to all the other loons on Northstar Lake. Nature is beautiful, but also cruel.