Friday, May 28, 2010 6:30am CDT

 

53 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

 

Blue sky.  First rays of sun peeking over the horizon and hitting our loon on the nest.  Birds singing.  Wisps of fog dancing on a totally calm lake.  

 

Can there be anything more perfect?!

 

Today it is forecast to be in the mid-80s for temperature and blue sky and sunshine.  A perfect summer or spring day!

 

First of all, I just want to say "HI" to all of the students in classes all over who are watching the LoonCam!  Thank you for watching.  I hope that you are enjoying this wonderful, unique view into the life of "your" loons.  Where else in the world would you ever have the chance to do that?  Tell your teacher thank you for letting you be a part of this.  And I hope that you get a chance to see the new baby loons when the eggs hatch!  We are only a few days away from that now.  Ask your mom and dad if you can watch at home, too.

 

Thank you to all of the teachers for exposing the kids to this wonder of nature, too.

 

Every day, we get one day closer to the eggs hatching and seeing two new baby loons.

 

It was three weeks ago tonight that the second egg was laid in the midst of a snowstorm!!!

 

Can that really be true?

 

Three weeks ago it was snowing?!!  And look at the beautiful morning that we are watching now!  How quick we forget.

 

But through it all the loons have been faithful.

 

Snow and rain.  Wind and waves.  Frost on the nest and blazing hot sun.  High humidity and wonderful dry air.

 

They have seen it all.  And they have faithfully sat through it all.  Always protecting those two precious eggs underneath them.

 

And inside those eggs, if everything has gone well, are two little downy loon chicks getting ready to make their grand entrance into the world!

 

The commonly accepted incubation time for loons has always been 28 days.  That would mean that next Wednesday the first egg would hatch and one week from today the second egg would hatch.  But nature has a way of surprising us and keeping us guessing.  If we go significantly beyond those dates, I would begin to get concerned that there is something wrong.

 

However, I expect that they will hatch earlier than the 'normal' expected dates.  I think it could be as early as this holiday weekend!  But as I said, nature has a way of keeping us guessing.  So all we can do is wait.

But a couple times over the last several years we have seen eggs hatch in twenty five and one-half days!  If that happens again this year, we could see one of the eggs hatch as early as Sunday night!

 

One of the miracles of hatching is something that is called "catch up".  Even though the eggs were laid two-and-one-half days apart, I expect that they will hatch within one day of each other.  It is one of those unusual things that nobody can completely explain.  There are a lot of theories of why it happens but no one can say definitively why or how that happens.

 

But I would expect that would happen with our two eggs.  Whenever it is that you see the first egg hatch, you can probably expect the second egg to hatch within a day or so.

 

And then the bittersweet time!  Within about 24 hours of hatching, our new little chicks will leave the nest.  Never to return.  From that point on they are totally water birds.  Completely at home in their element.

 

A couple years ago we saw something very unusual when one of the eggs hatched but the second egg did not hatch.  The loons kept sitting on the second egg hoping it would hatch.  And the first little chick was able to get back up on the nest.  And for almost two weeks we were able to watch the chick as it seemed to grow before our very eyes.

 

But that is unusual.  As wonderful as it was to see, the chick and the adults needed to be in the water and getting on with their lives.  For the chick to learn to do all the 'loon things' that it needed to do in order to survive.  And as soon as the non-hatching egg was gone, the bond with the nest was broken and they all got on with their lives.

 

There is something else that you can watch for today.

 

Watch for little flies that will fly around the loon and land on its head.

 

We have seen very little of them so far.  They have been there but have not been a great problem to the loons because of the wind and the heat.

 

These flies can bother the loons as much as mosquitoes bother us!

 

But there is something so unique about these flies.  They are a type of black fly that feeds almost EXCLUSIVELY on loon blood!!  Now there is specialization!  One has to wonder how such an insect even survives.  If it does not have loon blood to feast on, what does it do?

 

This phenomenon is fairly well documented.

 

Scientists have even taken loon skins that have been in storage for many years and laid them side by side with other bird skins.  These special black flies will swarm around the loon skin, even if it is years old, and will totally ignore the skins of ducks and other birds.

 

This is yet one more amazing fact about our amazing loons!

 

Now we begin the countdown to the hatching of our baby loons.  When will it happen?  Will it be this weekend or will it be next week?

 

Many people will be heading to the lake for this long Memorial Day weekend.  And you will be out on the lake in boats and canoes and jet skis.  But when you are out on the lake, you will be able to watch for loons with a whole new understanding.  You know what a loon looks like when it is sitting on a nest.  You know what they look like when they are afraid and defensive on the nest.  And now you know to quietly move away from the nest if you get too close.

Tell your family and friends that they should stay at least 200 to 300 feet away from any loon nest and you will have very little impact on them.  And while you are having fun with your fast jet ski and your fast speedboat, be aware of loons that are sharing the lake with you.

 

If we do, we can all enjoy the call of a loon on a quiet, calm lake at sunset.  That magical call that transports us to another world.  That immediately puts us "up north"!

 

Thursday, May 27, 2010 6:25am CDT

 

52 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

In the depths of winter, these are the mornings that every Minnesotan dreams about!

 

A northern lake.  The sun coming up over the trees, reflecting off the biggest mirror that we also call a lake.  Every detail of the shoreline perfectly duplicated upside down in the surface of the water.  Fish jumping.  Birds singing.  And a loon on its nest.

 

What more could one ask for?

 

This is the kind of morning you just wish you could bottle it and keep it forever.

 

We are getting ever so close to the day when we see that chick take its first peek out from under the wing of the adult loon.  As many times as we have seen it, it never grows old.  It never fails to make the heart skip a beat.

 

It is almost impossible for a reflexive "Awwwww" to come from deep within.

 

There are no words to describe the feeling one gets when you see the little black ball of down that is a loon chick.

 

But for now, along with the loons, we wait.

 

But the wait is getting shorter.  By this time next week we should have two new baby loons.  But my feeling is that it will be sooner than that.  If I had to guess, it could be as early as Sunday or Monday.  But there is nothing we can do to speed it up.  Or slow it down.  It will happen at just the right time.  Not before.  Not after.

 

Inside the egg the chick will decide when it is the right time to begin pecking at the egg shell which has been its home.  But then begins its prison that it will do anything to escape.

 

Let me give you a few hints of what to watch for that will be signs of the egg hatching if I can.

 

You will see the adult loon sitting quietly on the nest like you have any other day.  But then all of a sudden there will be a twitch.  Barely noticeable unless you are looking for it.  But it is there.

 

Then another twitch.  And maybe a wing lifted slightly.  Or the body lift or move ever so slightly.

 

Once in a while a movement like it had been poked from beneath...because it just was.  It was poked by the beak of the hatching chick.

 

A little more movement.  Now something definitely moving under the wing.  Can it be?

 

Then the moment when words fail you.  When you get that first glimpse of the miracle that has been happening beneath the loon for the last several weeks.  The creation of life!  When you see our new loon chick for the first time.  Peering out at a world it has never seen before.  A world big and beautiful.  A world to be explored!

 

Those are moments that can never be fully described.  And they will not be forgotten.

 

As so many Americans head to the lake for the Memorial Day weekend, this is a good time for you to give some reminders to your family and friends to help our loons.  And a chance for you to share some of the new knowledge about loons that you have learned here from talking to each other.

 

With all the increased boat traffic and jet skis and fishermen, it is a critical time for loons.

 

If loons are just beginning to nest, they are very vulnerable to disturbances caused by people approaching too closely.  If it happens too often, they may just abandon the nest.

 

A good rule of thumb for you if you are out on the water and spot a nesting loon is to stay at least 200 to 300 feet away.  If you stay this far away, you will cause very little stress or disturbance to most loons.  By now you already know what signs to watch for having watched the reaction of our loons on the LoonCam.

 

If you see the loon lower its head or especially if it goes into the "hangover" position, you are too close.  Quietly back away and the loon will quickly relax.  But don't forget to bring your binoculars with you so that you can get a good view of them.

 

If you are fishing, be on the lookout for loons.  They love to nest in the same shoreline areas that we love to fish.  If you see a loon nest in that area, just decide that you will fish someplace else for now and return to that area after the loons have left.  It is a small price to pay to be able to see loons with chicks in a few weeks.

 

The other BIG thing as a fisherman that you can do  is to begin to switch to non-lead tackle.  And here I am speaking to myself as well.  We have all lost sinkers or jigs or other lead lures.  All it takes is for a loon to pick up ONE sinker off the bottom of the lake, thinking it is a stone that it needs to grind its food.  That ONE lead sinker is enough to kill a loon by lead poisoning!

 

Non-lead sinkers and jigs are becoming more readily available.  But we have a long way to go to educate people of the devastating effect of lead on our loons.

 

Above all else, enjoy your time on the lake.  But just keep in the back of your mind what you have learned about loons and about what you have seen by watching the loons 'up close and personal' on the LoonCam.  And share that knowledge with the people you with whom you are enjoying the lake.  

 

A little of your knowledge will go a long way to ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the magic of loons for years to come!

 

So enjoy the magic today.  Wherever you are.  Whatever you are doing.  Take the time to stop and marvel at the beauty in the world that has been given to you.  And to say "Thanks!"

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 6:00am CDT

 

57 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

 

After record breaking heat and humidity the last several days, a front has come through bringing some relief to our loons.

 

The forecast for today is for sunshine, low winds and temperatures about 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  Much more comfortable than what they have been having to deal with.  Many areas received good rain as the front moved through but here it was just enough to tease us.  Fortunately there were only scattered reports of any severe weather.

 

The end is now definitely in sight for the loons.

 

One wonders if they are able in any way to sense it.  It was three weeks ago today that the first egg was laid.  If we take the normally quoted incubation period of 28 days, that would mean that the first egg would hatch one week from today.  Most sources put the incubation period at 28 to 30 days, with some saying a day or two shorter.

 

However, over the last few years with the advantage of having the LoonCam, we have been able to document at least two occasions where an egg has hatched at 25.5 days.  So to a certain extent, the LoonCam has been enabling us to understand better and to even rewrite some of what we know about loons.

 

Stop to think about it.  Previously researchers were hard pressed to tell exactly when an egg was laid.  If they were lucky enough to be out in a boat observing from a distance, it was unlikely that they were lucky enough to actually see the egg laid.  And they were also hard pressed to tell exactly when the egg hatched.  With the LoonCam, we have been able to document to the minute when the egg was laid.  And we have been able to tell within a couple hours of when the chick actually hatched.  So the precision is much greater.

 

So the 'normal' incubation time would put the hatching at one week from today or later.  My guess [and understand it is only a guess] would be that it would hatch earlier than that.  In fact if I had to guess, I would guess that it could very well hatch on Memorial Day....Monday.

 

So now we wait.

 

Along with the loons, we wait.

 

But stop to think of the miracle that has been happening over the last several weeks.  If all has gone well, within those eggs under that loon that you are watching right now there is a chick!  Now having developed far enough that you could tell that it was a loon chick.  Bones and beak.  Skin and black down.  Internal organs and eyes.  The characteristic big feet of a loon.  

 

And a heart that is already beating!!!

 

What scientist could create life like this?!  None could even come close.

 

We can only stand back and marvel at the miracle of creation that we are watching.

 

If you haven't already done it, now is the time to tell your kids and your grandkids and the neighbor kids to watch.  To tell your friends and neighbors and co-workers of what is happening and let them join you in this miracle.   Now is the time when the excitement begins to build.  Who can even describe that magical moment when you first see the head of a little black ball of down peek out from underneath its mother's wing?  To see a new baby loon chick moving under the wing.  It has been known to bring a tear to more than one eye.  To be able to be such an intimate part of the wonderful web of life.

 

But alas, that time can be too fleeting.

 

For within 24 hours of hatching, the chick gets off the nest and into the water.  From that point on he is in his element that he was born for.  He is a waterbird.

 

Someone asked if the warmer weather could speed up the hatching of the chicks.  It is possible but the effects are not clearly understood.

 

The times when we have been able to document hatching at just over 25 days were during periods of cooler than normal temperatures.  There have been some that have speculated that cooler temperatures keep the loon on the nest more and therefore actually provide ideal incubation conditions that speed up the hatch.  Who knows?  There is so much that we do not know and are just learning about loons.

 

There is also something called 'egg speed up' or 'catch-up' where the second egg hatches faster than the first egg.  Even though the egg this year was laid 2 1/2 days after the first egg, it will probably hatch within a day of the first egg hatching.  It will literally 'catch up'.

While it is not well understood, scientists have documented that chicks will actually communicate with each other by peeping while they are still inside the egg!  Whether that is part of what speeds up the development of the first chick or whether it is that the first egg is not incubated as much initially is open to speculation.  So many questions yet to be answered.

 

But for today, our loons continue the long vigil.

 

Ever alert.  Always faithful.  Always there.

 

Other things can wait.  Today there are little chicks inside those eggs that need tending!

 

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 5:47am CDT

64 degrees  Clear  Calm

The familiar and reassuring silhouette of a loon outlined against the pink glow of dawn reflected in the surface of a northern lake says that all is still well with our loons.

One more night under the belt.

One day closer to the expectation of two new baby loons.

The promise that the faithfulness of our loon parents will pay off with a new generation. 

While we were asleep, they did not have the luxury of 'sleep'.  At best they could nod off for a few seconds at a time.  But they needed to always be aware.  Always on guard.  Who knew what could happen at a moment's notice?  Everything could be for naught if they let down their guard for even a little bit.  

All the work and energy of producing the two eggs.  All the time spent sitting on the nest.  The interminable hours in the hot sun.

It could all be gone in a moment if they let down their guard.

And so this morning, the loon is still there.  Still on guard.

I have been doing a study over the last several weeks of their "sleeping" while they are on the nest.  If you can call it sleeping.

I don't think anything like it has ever been done before.  Because until the LoonCam and the nightvision, no one has ever had a chance to observe a loon up close during the night.

What I have found so far, after hundreds and hundreds of measurements, is that the longest the loon ever closed its eyes at one time was 47 seconds!  47 seconds!  And then the eye would be open again looking around for any danger.

Imagine how you would feel in the morning if the longest time that you closed your eyes at night was 47 seconds!

That was the longest!

Most of the time the loon's eyes would close for only three to six seconds!  And then it would be open again.  Watching.

Talk about faithfulness!!

Now these measurements are brand new.  But there have been hundreds of them so I think that a very reliable pattern is emerging.  And the average time that a loon has its eyes closed all night is only 3 to 6 seconds!

I don't know about the loon that is floating out on the lake all night.  If their sleep pattern is any different than the one on the nest.  But I have no reason to believe that it would be different.  It is just that there is no way to verify it.

Just one more amazing fact about our amazing loons.

Watch for something else today.  We always think about our loons being a stark black and white.  But our loons could not settle for something so mundane even if it is beautiful.

When the light strikes the loon at just the right angle, amazing COLORS appear!  Watch for it.

There is a distinct iridescent green to the black feathers of the head.  The first time you see it you do a double take and think that your eyes are playing tricks on you.  They are not.  The color is actually there.  A beautiful green overlaying the deep black of the loon's head.

But even more striking is another color that emerges in just the right light.

The "collar" around the loon's neck will glow a bright turquoise green!!  The collar that we had only seen as black, glows turquoise.  Yet one more amazing fact about our beloved loons.

A couple days ago, we talked about how a loon's leg is positioned so far back on their body that it is very difficult if not almost impossible for them to get around on land.  We even did an exercise with our arms so that we could feel what it is like for the loons.

That is the reason that loons need up to a quarter mile of open water to be able to take flight from a lake.  They will run across the surface of the lake with their big webbed feet while they mightily flap their wings to gain enough lift to get their heavy bodies airborne.

But that is also a great danger for loons.

If they come down on land, they will not be able to take off and they will die unless they are rescued!  Or if they come down on a body of water that is too small, they will not be able to take off and they will die.

I was part of the rescue of a loon a few years ago that had landed on a small pond in the pasture of a farm.  It was not able to take off.  And it would have died if it was not rescued.  Fortunately we were able to rescue it and bring it to a nearby lake where nothing was injured but its pride.  We think it may have been forced down during a thunderstorm the night before.

There have been instances of loons landing on highways or parking lots that look like rivers or lakes on a rainy day.  And once on the ground they are trapped unless someone can rescue them.

There was a tragic story of a two loons last fall that did not make it off their lake in northern Minnesota in time.  Ice formed and soon there was not enough open water for them to take off.  And they froze in the ice.  One loon was rescued and flown to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota but unfortunately it could not be saved.

So many dangers.  So many challenges.  So many things that we are unaware of.

But today our loons are there.  Ready for anything.

Except maybe the heat.  Today promises to be another day of high heat and high humidity.  Not the kind of weather that is ideal for loons to be sitting on a nest under a hot sun.  But they have done it before.  And they will faithfully do it again today.  To keep their charges safe and to keep their own rendezvous with destiny.

May we do the same!

Monday, May 24, 2010 5:46am CDT

 

71 degrees  Clear  Wind SSE 2mph

 

 

There is a haze in the air this morning.  It is a steamy, sticky tropical feel in the air this morning.

 

The loons have just had their morning shift change.  They are now in the midst of the long, interminable hours of sitting on the nest.  Hour after hour.  Day after day.  Boredom.  But at the same time needing to stay alert for danger and disaster that could strike at any moment.

 

Now is not the time to let down their guard.

 

They already have so much time and energy invested in this nest and these eggs.

 

Other birds begin their songs in the early morning light.  A goose honks its greeting and warning.

 

The loon on the nest has its head slightly lowered even though there is no apparent danger.  I am sure by now you have noticed that one loon seems to be much more wary and skittish than the other.  Where one sits with its head held high most of the time, the other loon is much more ready to lower its head into a defensive posture whether there is any obvious danger or not.

 

I have yet to figure out if it is the male or the female.  Most of the time I think it is the male that is more wary.  But just when I think I have it figured out which one it is, there is something that makes me think otherwise.

 

So whichever one is on the nest now, it sits with its head slightly lowered even though there is no threat that I can see.  But it obviously senses something that I can't see.

 

Already this early in the morning it is sitting with its beak slightly open.  Panting.  Trying to get rid of some of the excess body heat even this early in the morning.

 

Today and the next several days you can expect to see a lot more of this behaviour.  Each day the high temperature is forecast to be in the upper 80s to lower 90s Fahrenheit.  The high temperatures, combined with sitting in the sun, will take its toll on the loon.  They very much prefer cooler temperatures and the relief of swimming in cool to cold waters.

 

You will probably see the loon leave the nest more often today to just take a quick dip in the water to cool off.  It is a very thin line that the loon walks.  During cool weather being off the eggs too long can cause damage from the cold air.  During weather like this, if they are off the eggs too long the hot sun can literally bake the chick inside the egg.  So they have to be careful either way.

 

If I have one area of concern about the eggs this year it is from several weeks ago when the eggs were only a couple days old.

 

You will remember that it was an unusually cold morning.  Frost covered the whole nest around the loon.  The temperature was only 27 degrees.

 

And then the loon did an unusual and worrying thing ... it left the nest for over half and hour.  The eggs sat exposed to the cold morning air with frost all around them.  Both of our loons were off confronting a pair of intruder loons all the way on the other side of the lake!

 

Was there any damage done at that time?  Who knows?  We can only hope not.  But the possibility remains.

 

I personally hope that it was early enough after the eggs had been laid that there had been no damage even if the eggs chilled significantly.  I have checked with several wildlife experts and they feel the same way....or are at least hopeful that no damage was done on that frosty morning.

 

But now the eggs are very vulnerable to too much heat or too much cold.  Hopefully there is a chick developing inside each egg.  And the loon is very careful to provide it with just the right environment for it to continue to live and develop inside the egg.  Not too hot.  Not too cold.  Like Goldilocks, "just right"!

 

In a few days, the chick will probably be producing enough of its own body heat that it could ward off a chill.

 

But the next few days heat is going to be the greater problem.  So the loon will bring some cooling water on its feathers each time it gets back on the nest.  The water helps to keep the egg from drying out.  And the loon will roll the eggs often.  This keeps the chick from sticking to one side of the egg and being deformed.

 

Such profound simplicity in all that is necessary to produce the next generation of loons.

 

And today you have the privilege to have a front row seat as you watch this miracle of life!

 

Share the miracle with the kids in your life.  Give them a sense of the wonder of what they are observing.  The greatness of the miracles that are happening all around them.

 

It is so good to have so many schools using the LoonCam as a teaching tool!  Good morning, kids!  Don't take today for granted.  Look around you and see the all the wonderful things that have been put in this world for you to enjoy.  And take good care of them so that we can all enjoy them for many many years to come.  The loons are doing their part.  And hopefully in about a week, you will see two little baby loon chicks hatch from the eggs!!

 

My hope and prayer is that each of you will have a wonderful day filled with the wonder of life itself.