Songs and calls of some New York State birds

Loons

Common Loon Gavia immer Alarm Call 118kB Alarm Call* 43kB ``A loud, maniacal laugh.'' (Chapman) Limekiln Lake, August 1996. Short hoot 17kB Sound of a loon diving 56kB Limekiln Lake, August 1997. One wail mp3, 177kB Two wails mp3, 405kB Limekiln Lake, September 2012. ``His usual note was this demoniac laughter ... ; but occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn unearthly howl, probably more like that of a wolf than any bird; as when a beast puts his muzzle to the ground and deliberately howls. This was his looning-perhaps the wildest sound that is ever heard here, making the woods ring far and wide." (Thoreau, Walden).

``Looning'' is a popular pastime at Limekiln Lake.
Some local standouts:
Jane Miller Moffett 29kB, longtime resident.
Limekiln Lake, August 1996.
Kevin Hamilton 41kB, seven years old.
Limekiln Lake, August 1997.
Lawnote: CAUTION! Looning may be illegal where you live, if it interferes with their courting, nesting or the care of their young. Ask your local Loon Ranger.

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