Loons and Bilge Bumps

I was practicing kayak "self rescues" yesterday, which consist of getting my lard butt out of the water and up on a kayak with the help of an outrigger you make out of a paddle and an inflatable bladder,  while trying to rescue various items that have floated out around you.  Then, getting said lard butt back into the cockpit without flipping back over the other way.  (A very entertaining site from shore, I imagine)   Finally, after getting  in the boat, I was pumping out the water with my bilge pump when a distressed loon screamed right behind me, loud enough and close enough to make me nearly flip again.  I looked around to see a pair of loons.  As I sat still, they floated off in another direction, till I started pumping again, then they returned, and one of them started raising up out of the water, wings flapping.  I imagine the splashing of the pump sounded like a rival bird.   This might explain why sometimes loons are very curious about the kids who swim at a nearby raft.