55 degrees Partly Cloudy Wind North 6mph
No one knows for sure when our loon eggs are going to hatch.
All we can be sure of is that we are one day closer to whatever is going to happen!
If everything goes well, we should see something by next Thursday, May 28th. But I fully expect that we may see them hatch on Wednesday or even Tuesday. Or even Monday is not outside the realm of possibility given what we have seen over the last few years.
It is once again a reminder that we are just spectators in this great adventure. It is not us calling the shots and deciding what is going to happen and when.
Monday morning would be 25.1 days which we have seen as a possibility of the first egg hatching in the past. Thursday would be the commonly accepted 'norm' of 28 days. I would expect it to be between those two dates although it could be later. If it goes later than next Saturday, then there would be cause for concern if they are going to hatch or not.
So now the suspense builds. Now it gets interesting. Now the guessing and the wondering really begin. Now it pays to watch closely.
We are getting close to that amazing event of seeing a gorgeous little chick for the first time.
No matter how you prepare yourself, there is no way to fully prepare for that first glimpse of a little chick peeking out from under a wing. It is a heart stopping moment.
This morning an 'intruder loon' flew in and landed on the same side of the lake as our loons. That was enough to draw the loon off the nest and out of nowhere the mate also appeared. There was some swimming around and excited diving but that was about it before the intruder decided that there "was nothing to see here" and kept moving along by flying off to the west.
Our loons had formed a phalanx of protection - one near the nest and one a little bit farther out. They held their positions until they were sure the intruder was really gone and then one of them promptly returned to the nest to resume its guard over the precious treasure under its care.
So as they settle back onto the nest, you can settle in for the final vigil over the next few days.
A vigil that hopefully will end with two new loon chicks entering the world.
Questions or Comments or Observations? Post them here or in the Chat Room or send them to LoonCam@yahoo.com