Friday, July 3, 2009 11:47pm CDT

68 degrees   Dark with chance of rain overnight    Calm

I know some of you may be wondering how the loons are doing since it has been almost 2 weeks  since I have updated you.

The short answer is that they are doing very well!

They are already just over 5 weeks old.  The first chick hatched 5 weeks ago Tuesday noon and the second chick hatched 5 weeks ago Wednesday night.  They are at the point now that they will probably make it to "semi-adulthood" and will be able to fly south this fall.  That is barring some tragedy or some disease.

They are already probably 3/4 the size of an adult loon.  It is so hard to believe that they have grown so fast.  Five short weeks ago we first saw them as the little balls of black down peeking out from under the adult loon on the nest.  So cute.  So vulnerable.  So full of life.

But now they are looking more and more like a loon every day.  They have the familiar general body shape.  Their bills have lengthened markedly since we first saw them with the short bills when they hatched.  They are sort of in their "teenage" stage.  Definitely looking like a loon and yet with the wild "tously hair" which is still gray down instead of feathers.  It will be another five to seven weeks before they will make their first attempts at flying.

Once they are able to fly, they will then become more and more independent from their parents.

Both chicks are able to dive quite well now.  And that bodes well for tomorrow - the Fourth of July.  Because tomorrow there will be a lot of boat traffic and fishermen and water skiers and jet skis all over the lake in celebration of the holiday and of summer.

Once again the loons will have to be careful and ever alert for boaters who will not necessarily be alert for them!  But unlike earlier this summer, the chicks can now dive to get out of the way of boats.  They still are not nearly as proficient at diving as their parents are, but at least they stand a chance of getting out of the way of boats.

I saw them - all four of them - out in front of my place earlier this evening.  And I thought of so many of you who watched the LoonCam and took the loons into your heart and your thoughts.  So I wanted to give you a report of how they are doing.  They were sitting on a calm lake on a beautiful Minnesota summer evening.  They were relaxing.  They were diving and still bringing fish to the chicks.  They were preening.  They were just being loons.  And it was a wonderful scene to behold!

So you can relax in knowing that OUR loon family is doing well.  But for those of you who will be out on lakes in loon country, encourage whoever is driving the boat to be aware of loons and to give them their space.  And well all will be able to enjoy loons for many generations to come if we take care of the ones we have now.

For those of you in the United States, have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday!  Enjoy your friends and your family and everything that God has placed in your life.  Including loons!

Saturday, June 20, 2009 9:28pm CDT

74 degrees   Twilight    Calm

The sky is on fire with scarlets and crimsons and golds and pinks and reds.  And the surface of the lake is also ablaze with the reflection from the sky.

The sun set less than half an hour ago and we are now in the wonderful "in-between" time that is so typical of summer in the north.  And a time that is so special.   It is not a fast, harsh time between light and dark.  But a gentle, gradual change.  When the sky first wraps you in a coat of many colors before the dark finally envelopes you.

Most of the boaters have gone home.  There are just a few boats still on the lake, all of them just gently floating and enjoying the beauty of the evening.  There are three families of geese and their growing goslings swimming out on the lake.  And over there, in the middle of the lake are our loons!

The temperature was in the 90's today.  So there were boats all over the lake as people came out the enjoy a long delayed summer day.

And with it, our loons were in a traffic jam, caught between boats and water skiers and jetskis.  They had to watch out for boaters that possibly were not watching out for them.

But they have made it through the day.  They are safe.  They are healthy.  And they are growing so very much.  They are still covered in a gray down.  But their heads seem to be a little darker.  Is it the development of the first fine smooth feathers that cover a loons head and neck?  And they also seem to be developing some tail feathers

They are developing so rapidly.  It is hard to believe how much they have changed in only three-and-one-half weeks.

But they have a long way to go before they are truly independent.  They still rely on mom and dad for most of their meals although they are probably catching a few things on their own.  They are becoming more adept at diving and they try out their skills more and more often.  They can easily dive and stay down for 15 seconds or more.  It would be so fascinating to be able to see what they actually do when they are underwater.

But for now, they simply float.  And enjoy a gorgeous evening.

So tonight you can relax.  YOUR loons are safe and growing.  The most famous loons in the world!  And hopefully many thousands of others across the US and Canada are doing the same or will be doing so soon.

Monday, June 15, 2009 11:28pm CDT

70 degrees  Calm

Right now the lake is still.  Like a sheet of glass.  There is no moon and not many stars because of some of the sky being covered by clouds.  Lights around the lake reflect in the perfectly smooth surface of the lake.  The frogs are in full song and surround you with their croaks and chirps and 'ribbits'.

It is then you hear the sound that stands out from all others.  The sound that captivates you!   A loon!

And then another one answers.

The calls echo back and forth across the lake.  How beautiful is that sound.  It awakes something primeval in you.  A connection with all that is good and has gone before.  A feeling of being part of something so great and magnificent.  A world of wonder and discovery. 

In the darkness, one just hopes that all is well with the chicks.  Without being able to see, you just have to take it by faith that they are ok.

Yesterday was the chicks first day on the lake with a lot of boats and jet skis and water skiers.  In fact, I don't think it is stretching it too far to say that there were more boats on the lake yesterday than have been out there all spring.  Yesterday was the first warm sunny day and everyone headed to the lakes to let off all the pent-up desire that had built over the winter.  And they took advantage of it.

But it meant that our loons had to carefully thread their way through all the traffic and stay out of the way of all the speeding boats.

And they did it!

Today they have been swimming mainly on this side of the lake and enjoying the relative quiet of a Monday.

They are doing well!  It is amazing how fast the chicks grow.  Now they are two-and-a-half weeks old and they are looking more and more like loons, albeit miniature ones.  Their silhouette is now definitely that of a loon.  The body has lengthened.  The bill has gotten longer like a real loon.  They look like a loon, just much much smaller.

It is so hard to judge size from a distance or through binoculars.  But I would guess that they are at least 7 inches long if not even 9 inches.  They are growing up!

And every day that goes by increases their chances of surviving to adulthood and flying south later this fall.

So for those of you who wonder about them but can't see them, just know that tonight they are still doing very well and becoming loons and all that that  means.

Friday, June 12, 2009 9:08 pm CDT

64 degrees  Sunset    Wind S3mph 

The sun has just slipped below the horizon and God is painting the canvas of the sky with reds and pinks and golds and purples.

The colors are reflected in the waters of the lake that are almost completely calm.  There are only a couple boats on the lake fishing.  Everyone else has gone home.

And there are OUR loons!  All four of them.  Mom and dad and the two chicks.  Swimming and diving and eating.  Or just floating calmly on a peaceful, colorful northern lake.  They are home.  They are doing well.  And they are relaxed.  Right now all is almost perfect in their world.

Today they have spent more time on this side of the lake than I have seen for the last several days.  It is good to see them a little closer where you can see more detail with a pair of binoculars.

A neighbor on the other side of the lake told me last night how surprised she was by how big the chicks were already.  She said, "They must be at least six inches long!"  And I agree with her.

Seeing them on this side of the lake today only reinforced that assessment.  They do have to be at least six or seven inches long already.  They are no longer the tiny little balls of fluff that we saw on the nest.  But they definitely are still very much chicks and still covered with the black or dark gray down.  They are still almost completely dependent on their parents for food.

But we have just passed one of the most important landmarks in their survival and development.  Once they have passed the two week mark, which they did on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, their chances for survival increase significantly.

They are almost safe from predators like northerns and bass and muskies.  A little more vulnerable to snapping turtles but increasing their chances with turtles, too.

The two biggest dangers they now face are from the air and on the surface of the water.

From the air, they are still very vulnerable to bald eagles.  An eagle can easily take a chick.  In fact, an eagle is one of the few predators that can even take an adult loon.

But it is on the surface of the water that the most danger comes.  And that is from man.  Speeding boats and jet skis can run over and kill a chick (or even an adult) without even being aware that they have done anything.

So as summer now begins and more and more people are out on the lake in their boats, the loons have to be ever aware of what is around them and what is coming at them.  And they must be prepared to dive quickly to get out of the way.  But that is where the chicks are still at a disadvantage.  They can do some diving.  But they are far from proficient at it.  Even if they do dive, they may not be able to get deep enough to escape the hull of the boat or the propeller of the motor.

So their odds of survival have gone up significantly with the passage of the two week anniversary.  But they are hardly home free yet.

This afternoon I heard numerous alarm calls from out on the lake.  When I went to see what was upsetting the loons, I saw two young kids in a kayak or canoe.  Obviously they had come too close to the loons.  And the loons were not shy about letting them know.  There was calling.  Yodeling.  Splashing.  Diving.  Half flying half walking on water.  Aiming directly for the kayak.  Then splashing and yodeling.

Unfortunately the kids did not speak "loon".  They did not realize what the loons were trying to tell them.  All they knew was that this was pretty cool.  Loons so close to them.  Making so much noise.  Doing all their acrobatics.  And the kids were loving every minute of the show!

Two other loons even came from across the lake to investigate all the commotion.

This was the stuff of dreams for kids.  To see so many loons.  To see them so close.  To see them splashing all around.  To hear their loud calls.  I am sure they were convinced that the loons were putting on a show just for them.

And in a way that is true.  But from the loons perspective, it was not a "good" show.  It was a show of fear and danger and concern and aggression to drive these intruders away from their chicks.

I remember many, many years ago having the same kind of encounter out in the wilderness before I could "speak loon".  I remember how cool I thought it was that the loons came right up to us.  How wonderful it was that the loons did that for us.  How special it was to have that encounter.  How amazing it was to see them and hear them right next to the canoe.  So I do not fault the kids at all.  When you do not know what is going on, it is a very special experience.  But it just points up the need for continuing education.  Once you know what the loons are saying, it takes on a whole new meaning of what is going on.

And if you simply and quietly leaving the area, they will soon calm down and take care of their chicks.  And if you stay more than 300 feet from them, you will not disturb them at all in most cases.

Fortunately in this case, I heard an adult on shore call out to the kids and tell them to come in.  And the loons almost immediately calmed down.

So tonight you can relax.  And know that our loon family is doing well and the chicks are healthy active and growing so much.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 11:32 pm CDT

Since I may have raised your concern about our loon chicks because of my slight concern, I thought I should at least give you an update.

Early this evening I saw one of the adult loons with the two chicks just casually floating near some rushes.

All seemed well.  The chicks seemed healthy and even tucked their little heads under their little wings and took a little nap.

So they are doing fine. 

I didn't see the other 3 loons that were on the lake earlier today nor did I see the mate to this adult.  But everything looks like they have made it through another day in good shape.  There is always the danger with other loons killing the chicks so that is why I was a little concerned earlier today.

But our loons are good.

Tomorrow will already be the two week "birthday" of the second chick!  You will remember that it was hatched just at dusk and we got our first view of a wet chick escaping the eggshell just before it got dark.  How quickly the time has gone.

Someone asked if they had their "pecking order" fight or not.  Since they left the nest so quickly, you were (maybe fortunately) not able to see if they did or not.

Shortly after they left the nest there was a very short fight that I saw.  Mercifully short.  Now whether they had another longer fight I am not sure.  If they did, I did not see it.  Usually they just have one fight and then it is all over and they get along very well.

I will try to update you again in a couple days.  Or sooner if there is anything of interest.