Gavia immerDamariscotta Lake, Maine
This photograph of a loon mother feeding its chick (July 2010) won first prize in the Lester Picker Bird Photography Contest. Click here for more info...
http:///blog.lesterpickerphoto.com/2013/02/01/bird-contest-winners-2012/This chick was about three weeks old when I photographed this scene in early July 2010. It grew quickly and managed to evade predators such as snapping turtles and herring gulls. I followed it through the summer as it began to turn to a grayish color and last saw it as a subadult in late September.