27 degrees F Clear Wind Calm
Sunrise 6:08 am CDT Sunset 8:14 pm CDT
It is a chilly, crisp morning on "Loon Lake".
Today promises to be a spectacular Minnesota spring day with lots of sunshine, mild temperatures with a high of 69, light breezes and spring flowers blooming and everything turning green.
And with loons calling on the lakes, what could be better?
Our loons continue to visit the nest with greater frequency. Right on schedule. We want them to go faster but they will proceed at their pace and all in their good time.
There isn't much we can do about it even though we want to be in charge. Now the loons are in charge. And they will do what they want when they want.
But the increased frequency of visits to the nest and especially the start of nest building activity while they are on the nest are all encouraging signs.
I guess I have not mentioned it yet, but it seems to be definite that this is the same pair that nested on the LoonCam last year. The male with a blue stripe band and the female with a green band on her leg.
The female was new to this nest in 2013 but did not nest that year. Last year she nested and produced 2 eggs and 2 healthy chicks. We were able to catch (with some difficulty) and band her and both of last year's chicks.
The male was banded in 2012.
It still amazes me when the same pair returns to the same nest after many months and thousands of miles of travel. How do they do it? What goes on in those brains of theirs? How do they find their way? How do they know? What kinds of maps do they use? What do they "think"? What or Who guides them?
A thousand and one questions that are just too wonderful to understand.
Yesterday was a relatively calm Sunday with no crises, no Canada geese and no ospreys. That is a good thing for our loons.
Today you should watch for continued visits to the nest with increasing frequency and for longer periods of time.
Watch for more serious nest building. Rearranging of materials. Reaching out and pulling nesting materials in and placing them around the loons body. Digging with their feet to make the nest bowl deeper.
Someone asked a couple days ago how deep the nesting material is. That is a good question. Even though I have never actually measured it as I have built the nest and put the material on, I would say that it is 6 to 8 inches deep.
It is made up of cattails and bulrushes and other weeds and materials that wash up on shore.
Exactly the same types of materials that loons would normally find to nest on.
It has been interesting to watch which loon does what. With the bands we can now tell the difference between the two of them.
This year, as last, it is the male who seems to be doing most of the nest building. But it is still early so watch to see if there are changes in that behavior.
At some point, the nest building activity will become even more urgent.
And the we will hopefully see our first egg being laid.
Everything depends on that egg being laid. And that determines all that happens from that point on.
Enjoy our loons today.
Enjoy the sunshine.
And enjoy all the Wonders that have been placed in your life.
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund