Larry's Loon Blog
Larry Backlund brings decades of loon watching experience to his daily Loon Blog. With a view overlooking his nesting platform, he gives a rare look into the life of a nesting loon, with words that can only be described from a man that loves the birds as much as he does.
We have our first feeding about to happen!
The loon climbs up on the nest with a minnow in its beak.
But for whatever reason it left with the minnow still in its beak. Could not see the chick on the other side of the loon on the nest so don't know if it was under the wing, sleeping or just didn't want the minnow.
Keep watching, you will see a lot of this feeding behaviour over the next day or two.
And now the chick is fully in view from under the right wing.
WE HAVE A NEW BABY LOON!!
It is looking around a the new big world that he has never seen before. Except maybe the peek he got early this morning through the small hole that he had pecked in his eggshell. But now he can see it all!
And he is pecking at the nesting material.
"There must be something good to eat here someplace, isn't there mom?! I am hungry! I have had a tough morning already and have put in a lot of work!"
So enjoy your views of our new loon chick....already dry and downy and active!
One down, one more to go!
63 degrees Cloudy Wind SE 4mph
As if on cue, the other loon comes swimming toward the nest from farther out in the lake where it has been all morning.....just as two pairs of geese with their little goslings in tow go swimming by. The loon on the nest goes into defensive posture and the other loon is now near the nest with just his head showing above water (remember how we talked a couple days ago that they can change their buoyancy and just literally sink out of sight?!).
There has been no calling but it as if there has been communication anyway....communication that "We have a new baby! Come and see it."
Now we wait for the official "debut"!
After a lot of movement of the feathers from under the wing of the adult loon, a chick has definitely peeked out. It is now out of the egg and is moving around!
In the next few minutes we should get a good view of our new loon chick!
Let me give you one of the other things you can watch for today after the chick hatches.
At some point, one of the loons will probably take the leftover white membrane of the eggshell in its beak and carry it into the water. It will swim a little ways from the nest and dive. It places the remains of the eggshell on the bottom of the lake!
Why?
I am not sure. But I have seen it happen too many times for it to be just an 'accident'. My guess is that it removes as much from the nest as possible that might draw the attention of a seagull or an eagle or a crow.
It is just another one of those amazing things about loons. Watch for it.
Ron Schara, and his trusted black lab, Raven, began sharing stories of the outdoor lifestyle back in 1995. Minnesota Bound is the show that started it all for Ron Schara and he quickly found a passion for putting his words onto the television screen. Today, it remains a trademark program and is now running over 600 episodes strong. We seek characters that have a story to tell. We seek out destinations and find out what makes them special. We share the love of outdoors and those that enjoy it. Yes, it's fishing and hunting, but it's also camping, hiking, canoeing, archery, bird watching, ice climbing and so much more. Minnesota Bound is a fan favorite winning several hundred OWAA awards during its lifespan, including 11 Emmy Awards.
Ron Schara Productions | 1000 Boone Ave. N. Suite #1200, Golden Valley, MN. 55427, United States
