44 degrees Cloudy and Rain Wind 5mph SE
For now, peace reigns on the lake.
There have been light rain showers most of the afternoon under a gray, leaden sky.
There have been some thunderstorms in the state with at least one tornado warning. But it doesn't look like any of that will make it here to the lake and to our loons. It is just too cold for severe storms to pop up. In fact, a little further north there have been snow showers again today. But it has been a dusting with no significant accumulation like there was earlier in the week in some areas of the northern part of the state.
Ahhhhhh, Minnesota. The "Theatre of Seasons"!
If you don't like the weather, hang around for five minutes!
The quiet rain and weather today has not been matched by the action on the lake.
For most of the day, since early this morning there have been territorial battles going on.
I mentioned when I signed off this morning that I was going to go check things out to see what was going on. We have at least one other pair of loons on the lake.
When I went to check this morning, there was our pair of loons in a face off with another male loon. They were in full fledged confrontation with splashing and chasing and diving and even penguin dances with both loons up in the penguin position at the same time facing each other.
While they were facing each other and calling and yodeling and the female was tremoloing, I heard another loon from the other side of the lake also making a tremolo call. So that is how I know that there were at least four loons on the lake today .... the three I could see and the other one calling from across the lake.
That has been happening off and on all day long.
For my own well being and the need to get other things done, I have chosen not to watch most of it too closely today. Other than to be aware of what was going on.
I mentioned the chase that was happening early this morning which started all of this. I know it is hard to visualize what that kind of chase is like so here are a couple videos that show you exactly that type of behaviour.
It is absolutely amazing when you see such a chase. When you don't know what it is, it is pretty fun to watch. But it is deadly serious to the loons.
So now you can see a little of what has been happening off and all day.
I am not sure what kind of effect this has on the egg laying. So many things that we do not know.
I was in a meeting all day yesterday and then a hospital visit last night, so it was very late and after dark before I got home.
When I logged onto the cam, I fully expected to see a loon on the nest in the night vision. And with the behaviour the previous day, it would not have surprised me if the first egg had been laid yesterday while I was gone.
But it was not to be.
So we wait.
Our loons are out on the lake peacefully swimming right now in the rain.
They know what is going on. We don't. We can only wait until they show us what is going on.
So much drama.
Now is not the time to miss a minute of it!
Comments or Questions? LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com
Copyright 2012 Larry Backlund