OAKLAND, Maine — Loons are a staple of Maine's waters this time of year, and one will live to see another day, thanks to quick work by a passing boat in the Oakland area.
Capt. Gary Bennett runs Snow Pond Cruises out of Messalonskee Lake. He was with a group on his boat Wednesday when they noticed one of two loons tangled in some hunting mesh.
Bennett worked with one of his passengers to free the loon, and then they noticed why the two loons were in such distress.
"I looked in the nest and there was no egg, and this time of year they should have an egg in there," Bennett said. "I looked on the bottom of the lake, and I could see the egg in about 5 feet of water."
While Bennett's passenger, Brenda Wentworth, wrapped a sweatshirt around the loon and clipped the lines and mesh off of it, another loon was swarming, concerned about the egg. While Wentworth distracted the other loon, Bennett went into the water.
"I went underwater, and I grabbed the egg, and I just tossed it into the center of the nest. Then I got back to the boat and the mother, as we pulled away, the mother went to the back of the nest and jumped in and used her beak to rotate the egg, which is what they do, and once it was rotated, plopped right down on it. It was a beautiful thing to watch," Bennett explained.
The bird inside the egg may not survive, depending on how long it was underwater, but Bennett said he'll be keeping an eye on the family and hoping they all pull through the ordeal.
To learn more about Snow Pond Cruises, click here.