68 degrees F Light Rain Wind 2 mph S
Sunrise 5:25 am CDT Sunset 9:03 pm CDT
Probably the biggest question that you have right now is what happened to the LoonCam and why is it "Off Air"?
I have been out of town for the last week on a speaking engagement and I just got home last night to find that the LoonCam was Off Air.
Apparently one of the storms that had gone through the area knocked out the power. All the digital clocks in my house were flashing and the server which processes and sends the picture to you was off.
I know that you would like to be able to see the loons, especially the chicks. I fully understand that. But for whatever little consolation it is to you, last night they stayed in the area out of view of the camera to the left. And this morning they are far enough away that you would not be able to see them, even with a zoom.
So I think this is the time to bring loon season to an end for 2017. And give the neighbor's property back to them to use.
They have been so wonderful in support of the LoonCam and limiting their own activities to help our loons.
Now the second question that I am sure you want to know - HOW are our little loons doing?
I saw them just a few minutes ago and THEY ARE DOING FINE!
Tomorrow they will be two weeks old!
And my how they have grown!
Right now both parents are feeding them as they hungrily gobble down every minnow that the parents bring to them.
It is hard to tell what their exact size is from a distance with binoculars. But I would guess that they are at least 6 to 8 inches long. They are now mostly out of danger of being taken by a largemouth bass. Although northerns, muskies and snapping turtles could still take them or at least do severe damage to them.
So that is good news.
But they are still very vulnerable to eagles.
The lake is always busy. But the next two weeks are a little bit quieter than it will be around the 4th of July holiday. So that is a good thing for our loons as they continue to grow and thrive. By the 4th, they will probably be able to dive a little bit to get out of the way of trouble.
And the bigger they get, the safer they will be from predators.
So there is good news in LoonLand this morning!
Copyright 2017 Larry R Backlund