In 2025, Mark had the fortunate opportunity to photograph common loon families with newly-hatched chicks on three northern-Minnesota lakes. One was a remote Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) lake, another was a central-Minnesota lake, and the third was on Minnesota’s Whitefish Chain of Lakes during the National Loon Center’s inaugural Loon Photography Workshop event in June 2025, led by Mark. This calendar showcases loon chick photos from all three locations. Mark’s early nature photography began at his grandparent’s northern-Minnesota cabin as an early teen. Common themes of Mark’s photography are nature conservation, education, and sharing nature’s calming beauty. More about Mark’s nature photography can be found at his website (www.markellis.com). 2026 is the sixth year the proceeds from this annual loon calendar will be donated to the National Loon Center in Crosslake, Minnesota (www.nationallooncenter.org).