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| 12/22/2006 8:30:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| “A Loon Story,” produced by wildlife photographer Bob Baldwin of St. Germain details the 28-day nesting and incubation period of a Northwoods loon family. |
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Local "loonatic" produces feature-length Loon Story DVD
Film is a study in loon behavior, nesting
Debbie Munson Badini
Sports/Outdoors Editor
After more than two decades spent photographing common loons and other Northwoods wildlife, St. Germain wildlife photographer Bob Baldwin decided it was time to craft his capstone project - a labor of love depicting the interaction of a loon pair as they mate, nest and, 28 days later, meet their newly hatched chick.
The outcome of this project, entailing 55 hours of filming and an untold number of hours in the editing room, is the new feature-length DVD "A Loon Story."
"The project just kind of materialized as I was working on it," said Baldwin, who also owns the St. Germain Motel with his wife Jackie. "I knew I wanted to film this, but you never know if things will work out right."
To create the film, Baldwin relied on a pair of loons he knew had nested on a Vilas County lake in recent years. The pair returned in the spring of 2006, but the nest the birds built was too low to withstand high waves and within a few days had washed out.
At that point, Baldwin thought his attempt at the project may have to be postponed.
But through careful observation of the lake, the potential film-maker noticed the loons back on the lake within a few days, where they had taken up residence on an old, abandoned nest that dates back to at least the early 1990s.
Baldwin knew the loons were the same pair he had observed earlier, because the hen has four leg bands used for record-keeping by the state Department of Natural Resources.
"I was very lucky to see them back there," said Baldwin. "At that point, I decided that I would stay as long as they stayed."
28 days later
The average incubation period for loons is 28 days.
And 28 days later, Baldwin, who is a self-professed loon lover or "loonatic," was still filming the loon pair as their one-day-old chick was introduced to the world and the new family prepared to leave the nest.
"That was such an amazing moment, to see that they had successfully hatched the chick," he said. "I just thought 'my God, they did it.'"
The 104-minute film, which is separated into 13 chapters, begins with the daily nest-building and egg-tending activities of the loon pair.
The dedication of the loons to the survival of their lone egg is evidenced during scenes showing the hen on her nest during a violent hail storm that would send most animals running for cover and during days when temperatures reached into the 90s and heat reflections can be seen radiating from the nest.
"I have footage of the hen panting on her nest because it was so hot," said Baldwin, who was right there with the loons from first light until around dinner time each day, even during the hail storms and heat waves. "I figured if they could do it, I could do it."
Undocumented behavior
Throughout the process of filming the interactions of the pair with each other and the other wildlife within their nesting territory, Baldwin set up his digital video camera in nine separate locations, depending on the weather and what the loons were doing that day.
"I had a spot right by the water, I had a spot back in the woods," he said. "I was always a good 50 to 80 yards away, but they knew every day when I was there. But they got used to me. When other people would pass by, [the loons] would crouch down and hide for 10 minutes or so. But when I came, they would only crouch for a minute or two before going back to their business."
Because the loons became accustomed to Baldwin's presence, he was able to capture some behaviors that even loon researchers have not previously documented.
"There is one scene where one of the loons yawns. I have never seen that before, and even the [researchers] didn't know what that meant," Baldwin explained. "I hope that this can benefit their work and study in some way."
Something for everyone
In addition to supplementing the amount of loon footage available that documents loon behavior for research, Baldwin said his film was made for the enjoyment of anyone with an interest in loons.
"'A Loon Story' is for all loon lovers, from the casual observer to the loon fanatic. It has something for everyone," he said. "That is why I made it with 13 chapters, so you can watch just a little bit or can sit down and watch the whole thing. The movie works either way."
Besides the one-of-a-kind footage of the loons - doing such things as gently poking at the dozen painted turtles that took up sunbathing spots on the nest, to alerting each other to the presence of a predatory bald eagle - the movie is also unique in the use of natural sounds for a soundtrack.
"There is no verbal narration," Baldwin said. "The soundtrack is the natural sounds occurring in the immediate area, of the loons and of the other wildlife there."
Instead of narration, there are several scenes at the beginning of the movie with explanatory subtitles. The remaining scenes are void of explanation, but are edited in an attempt to make explanation unnecessary, Baldwin said.
"When I screened it for people, they all had positive feedback on the soundtrack," he said. "They said they were surprised at how much they got into the movie and were able to follow it on their own without narration."
"Besides, I didn't want to ruin the film by having some boring voice over," he added. "I think, hope, it will be viewed more this way. And it can even be played for background ambience, too."
Rare loon call recorded
The climax of the movie occurs when the chick makes its first appearance on camera, a moment so exciting for Baldwin, he said it was difficult not to yell into the camera's microphone.
Another highlight of the film-making process was Baldwin's success in making a sound recording of a type of loon call known as "mewing."
The sound recording of the mewing, a sound so rare that many loon researchers have not even heard it, was done at night when the loons were going through the courtship process and does not have video that accompanies it.
"But as I discovered, loons behave a lot like people," Baldwin said laughing. "So, they were probably glad I couldn't see them."
"A Loon Story" is available for $24.95 at Loon Land Trading Company in Minocqua and at the St. Germain Motel on Little St. Germain Lake.
Debbie Munson Badini can be reached at debbie@lakelandtimes.com.
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