Tuesday, June 2, 2009 11:22pm

48 degrees   Calm

Can you believe it?!

It was one week ago today that the first chick hatched!

Already ONE WEEK OLD!

I am happy to report to you that both chicks are still doing very well and seem to be very healthy and active.

Early this morning just as the sun was coming up, there they were.  Mom and dad.  And two chicks.  Swimming on a lake as still as glass.  Two balls of black down floating next to mom and dad.  It was obviously breakfast time for the chicks after a long night.  The parents were in their mode of catching a minnow.  Feeding it to a greedy hungry chick.  Diving for another minnow.  Feeding.  Diving.  Feeding.    Over and over.

And the chicks appetite seemed to be endless.  As was the parents willingness to catch minnow after minnow and then, swimming over to the chick, gently feeding it to him.

I wish that you had been able to watch the scene. 

But even if the webcam had still been active, you would not have been able to see it since they were well away from the nest.  If that helps you not feel too badly about the days of watching the loons close up being over for another year.   And anything less than some of the really long, high quality telephoto lenses would have shown you nothing but some black spots far away on the lake.  Do you remember vacation pictures where someone would say, "See that little black spot in the bushes?!!  That was a HUGE black bear!"

One of the technical wizards picked up some of the equipment that it took to bring you the pictures from the camera on the nest, including the video server on which we burned out 4 different channels!

He mentioned that they had received a phone call a few days ago from a company in Australia that does nothing but monitor internet traffic and webcams.

This company said, "Did you know that the Loon Cam had more traffic than any other webcam in the world for the last several days!!!  By a large margin!" 

He told me that there had been millions of hits on the webcam.

I have not seen any official reports yet but that is what he passed along to me and so I pass it along to you with thanks.

I still stand back in awe of that and how the Loon Cam has become such a world wide phenomenon!  Thank you for being a part of that and for telling so many of your friends and family about it.  What really excites me though is that you have had so many kids watching our loons.

I hope it is an experience that they will never forget for the rest of their lives.  And that they have learned something new about loons and come to appreciate and value them.  And wildlife and nature in general.  And this wonderful creation that has been entrusted to us.

So THANK YOU!!!

Sunday, May 31, 2009 12:51pm

72 degrees   Sunny   Wind SE 14mph

On another picture perfect summer day, our loons are doing fine.

Bright sunshine.  Blue sky.  Gentle breezes.  And two gorgeous little loon chicks swimming with their parents.  Does it get any better?!

The parents are in non-stop feeding mode.  And the chicks are in non-stop eating mode.

No sooner than one loon comes up with a minnow and one of the chicks hungrily gulps it down. The other parent dives.  And moments later comes up with another minnow which is quickly consumed.  Dive after dive.  Minnow after minnow.  Meal after meal.

It is sort of like a big Chinese buffet.  But a buffet on a conveyor belt.  Endless food.  Endless appetites.

Sometimes both loon parents dive at the same time and the chicks look around as if to say "Where did everybody go?!"  Only to be greeted in seconds with yet another minnow.

It is so cute to watch as the little balls of down mimic their parents and rise up in the water, their white little bellies exposed, and flutter their tiny little wings.  Or they roll over on their side, once again exposing their beautiful white underside, and waggle a big chickie loon foot in the air.

So enjoy your day, where ever you are.  And know that right now the loons are having a spectacular day.  And they are doing very well!

Saturday, May 30, 2009 12:46pm CDT

64 degrees Sunny Wind 17mph NW

The sky is a deep blue with not a cloud in sight. Only the wide white contrail of an airplane that went over unnoticed some time ago stands out against the blue.

A fairly stiff northwest wind has whipped the lake into modest whitecaps.

And somewhere out there among the whitecaps are our loons.

It is hard if not impossible to see them right now with the waves. It seems like the stark black-and-white plumage of a loon would stand out and draw attention to it, no matter where it is. But such is not true.

With the whitecaps on the lake, they just blend into the waves and the color. Even on a day with just ripples on the surface of the water, from above they blend into the sparkle of light off the ripples. And it makes it difficult for even the "eagle-eyed" eagle to see them on the lake.

So what at first seems like an obvious mistake of coloring is exactly the perfect pattern to blend in with its surroundings.

Early this morning I did see them out there in the cool morning air. Peacefully floating along. Just before the winds started to come up. I could not tell for sure if both chicks were there but I think they were. It looked like there were two distinct bumps under the wings of the one loon. Wings that hopefully sheltered two little loons riding on its back.

I can tell you for sure that just before dark last night, both chicks were there. Healthy and active. And cute as ever!

And what other bird gives you a picture so beautiful and heart touching as the two little chicks riding on the back of the parent. If you have never seen it, just google loon pictures and there is almost sure to be a picture of a cute little chick riding on the back of the adult loon. Something that is so special and just one more thing that endears loons to all of us.

Especially during the first two weeks of its life, the baby loon is so vulnerable to so many dangers.

It can not dive well. It can dive almost immediately after getting off the nest but dives only a few inches deep. And then it pops back up to the surface like a cork.

So it is vulnerable to things under the surface of the water, above the surface in the air and on the surface. Under, it is vulnerable to muskies and bass and northerns and turtles. Above, it is vulnerable to eagles and seagulls. And on the surface of the water, it is vulnerable to jet skis and speedboats. They can be right on top of them before the boater even sees them and the little loon is not able to dive deep enough to get away safely.

So if you are out on the lake, watch for loons and especially the little babies. If your friends are boaters, encourage them to do the same.

Let me explain a little bit about the webcam.

It probably will not be live again this season. It was my intent and everyone's intent to keep it live for at least a week after the loons left the nest. To give you a chance to catch the rare glimpse of the loons as they swam by the nest. But probably more importantly to gradually ease you off your addiction to our loons!!!

Here is one more amazing thing that happened! Just an hour and a half or two hours after the second chick left the nest on Thursday morning, the fourth of four channels on the video server burned out! So I guess if it was going to happen, the timing could not have been more perfect because at least it gave you a chance to see the second chick make that giant leap of faith into the water. How bad would it have been if it burned out just as the chick was standing at the edge.

In talking with the people at MN Bound, there was the feeling that by the time they could even get a new video server shipped in and reconnected it would be too late to give you any meaningful viewing. So for now they will be playing videos of some of the previous days to give you something to see our loons.

To put your minds at ease, you are not missing much by not seeing the live cam. Although I realize that even seeing the empty nest brings some closure to the year.

However, even that I find to be bittersweet. How quickly it changes!

One minute there is a loon and chicks on the nest. It is full of life and fascination and wonder.

The next minute, the loons are gone. They have left the nest. They swam out of view. And all that is left is a nondescript, some might even say ugly, mass of dead dry lake weeds and vegetation. So lifeless. So lacking in interest. So different than it had been. So devoid of life and action.

I will periodically continue to give you updates about our loons. Several of you have asked about the nest itself and I will maybe try to answer some of those questions in the next few days. You can get a better view of the whole nest and where it is in the Simply Science segment that Sven Sundgaard did for KARE11 tv. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=724929

For today, just know that the loons are doing well.

Questions or Comments or Observations? Post them here or in the Chat Room or send them to LoonCam@yahoo.com

Friday, May 29, 2009 6:30am CDT

45 degrees  Clear and Sunny   Wind NNW 6mph

Our loons - all four of them - have made it safely through another night.

Now in the cool morning air with the sun just skimming the surface of the lake, it swims near the nest with its precious cargo of two little chicks tucked safely under its wings.  Two bumps under the wings.  One on either side.  Occasionally a little head and beak will peak out from under the wing.  Just to check to see where they are.

There are a couple calls.  And soon the other loon swims in from somewhere out on the lake,

And then both of them head out into the lake for the day.

But our chicks are ok.  They are active.  And they have made it through one more dark night.

Shortly after dark last night, the loons calls could be heard echoing across the lake.  Wails, and tremolos and yodels.

There are times that I wish that I did not know the difference between the calls.  For when it was just a "loon call", I could enjoy every one of them.  Now the tremolo calls and the yodels cause me concern knowing that they are alarm calls.  And especially in the night when I can't see what is happening.  There is immediately concern for the safety of the chicks.

There are sometimes when I question the commonly accepted wisdom that the tremolo and the yodel are  only used as alarm calls.  There are times when I have seen the alarm calls used and yet see absolutely no reason that the loons should be alarmed or that anything is threatening them.  There is so much to learn about these magnificent birds.

Shortly after the loons left the area, there were HUGE legs standing on the the nest.  Standing on the nest!

It was a great blue heron that had landed on the nest!

It was tall enough that all you could see on the camera was the body and the legs.  I have never seen a heron land on the nest before.  Surely the loons see this as well.  But there is no reaction.  Their bond with the nest has been broken.

Twenty four hours ago there would have been a MAJOR battle if this had happened.  And our new chick would have been in serious trouble.  So just when you think you have seen everything possible, something new like this happens.

The heron stands and pivots around showing its whole body.  Much like a heron model on a heron fashion runway.  Showing off the long legs.  The magnificent body and the unique feathers that lie on top of the main body feathers, just like some fancy evening wrap put on for a night on the town.

After five minutes on the nest, the heron flies off.  With no reaction whatsoever from the loons.

Last night around 7pm, one of the loons came in next to the nest with both babies.  It just floated.  No attempt to get on the nest.  Just content to float nearby.  I was wishing that the camera had been live for you to see it.  For about twenty minutes it floated by the camera for a minute or two and then out of sight.  And then floated back the other direction for a minute or two and once again out of sight.  And both chicks were either on the back or swimming nearby during this time.

I assumed it was the female and that the male was somewhere out on the lake.

Then the loon decided to get back up on the nest.  In one of its characteristic vaults, it jumped up on the nest.  And the two chicks on its back went flying through the air and landed in the water!

The loon sat on the nest this way.  And then it got up and turned that way.  And then got up and turned the other way.

And then came the surprising part.

It made a couple of wail calls.  And then more surprising.  A couple of yodels!

It was the male on the nest and that had been taking care of both chicks.  Not the female like I had been so quick to assume.

But then as if to say "Ok, I am satisfied.  There is nothing here for us.", he got off the nest in  just a couple minutes and swam away with his two little chicks in tow.

This morning you can relax and know that both our little chicks are safe and sound.  And right now are enjoying a wonderful sunny morning on a Minnesota lake.  Just like it should be.  And like the Louis Armstrong song that somebody posted here in the chatroom, "I see trees of green, red roses too...and I say to myself, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!"

Have a wonderful day in YOUR wonderful world!

Don't forget to stop and look at all the beauty and wonder that God has placed all around you.  And today appreciate it anew with new eyes and new understanding.

Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:12 pm CDT

79 degrees   Sunny   Wind NW 8mph

I know some of you are probably going through "loon withdrawal" right now.

Let me just tell you that the loons are doing fine.

And for whatever it is worth, you have not missed viewing them on the camera because even though they have remained in the area. they have not been around the nest.  I have been relaxing and resting today so I have not watched all the time.  But I have seen only one time late this afternoon when they were close enough to the nest that you could have actually seen them.

So for whatever it is worth, you are not missing a lot of views of our loons.

I will see if there is any possibility that they can turn the webcam on for a little while for you.  I can't promise what they can do but I will at least ask.  I think this morning we "burned out" the fourth and final port on the video server that takes the signal from the cam and processes it so that it can be transmitted over the internet to you.  That is probably why the cam is down now.  The cam itself is working fine and I am watching the picture.  But it isn't getting through all the other stuff it has to traverse to get to you.  I am not sure if it is because of the heavy traffic or what the problem has been that they have burned out several ports.

But it may give you a chance to wean yourself off your loon addiction without having to go "cold turkey".  Or in this case would that be "cold loon"!?

But just know that both chicks are healthy and active.  Both loons have been feeding them little minnows.  And the chicks have been alternately swimming and riding on the adults back.

So thank you once again for your wonderful support and interest in the loons.  They are doing well and enjoying a spectacular Minnesota spring day.