Monday, May 31, 2010 7:21am CDT

The loon left the nest for about 22 minutes.

 

My first reaction is to be worried for the chicks in the eggs in this chilly morning air.  But by now if everything has gone well,  they are generating some of their own body heat to keep them warm.  They would be in more danger of overheating if this was later in the day and the sun was beating down on them.

 

The reason for the loon being off the nest is something that I do not like to see.

 

Both of "our" loons were swimming with a third 'intruder' loon out in the middle of the lake.  Or is it even fair to call it an intruder loon?  There was no fight.  No attempt to drive the other loon off.  No calling.  No territorial yodeling.  No excited diving.  They were just swimming together.

 

But this presence of a third loon had definitely gotten the attention of the loon on the nest and had drawn her off the nest for 22 minutes.

 

During that time a couple small birds took a tour of the nest...looking for whatever they were looking for.  They did not approach the eggs.  But had this been a crow or a raven or a seagull that landed on an empty nest, very quickly those eggs could have been breakfast!

 

So those times that the loon is drawn off the nest, even if they are totally "natural", can be very dangerous for the eggs and the  chicks that we hope are inside them.

 

So today, 'traffic' becomes very important.

Whether it be speedboats or jet skis or fishermen or eagles.  Or even other loons becomes very crucial to our little loon chicks still safely sheltered in the eggs.

 

It is an opportunity for you to remind those you are with when you are out on a lake.  To be aware of loons and to give them their space.  If you stay 200 to 300 feet away from a nesting loon, you will have very little impact on it.  And they can be about their 'loon thing' of taking care of the eggs in their nest.

 

So the vigil continues!

Monday, Memorial Day, May 31, 2010 6:37am CDT

47 degrees  Clear  Calm

The loon on the nest lets out a single wail.

It is as if it is saying to its mate, "OK, I am ready for you to come and take over nesting duties for a while."

The other birds are in full song on a clear, calm and cool Minnesota morning.  Somewhere from across the lake a goose honks as if to say 'I am here, too!'

Little wisps of fog dance about the lake in the morning sun.  The front that came through yesterday has dried out the air and cooled it off.  There is a definite chill in the air on this beautiful Memorial Day morning!

So far there has been no new chick.  Only the promise of one.  Will today be the day that brings the hatching of the first egg?  Anticipation and hope build.

The forecast for today is another stunningly beautiful day with a high in the mid-70s Fahrenheit.

With this being a holiday for most people, the lake will probably be very busy today.  The threat of rain yesterday helped to keep the activity down a little bit.  But today you will probably see activity from a lot of boats and fishermen.  The loons will take it in stride unless people decide to approach too closely to the nest.

There are a couple boats on the lake but more are at the landing putting their boats in right now.

Will this be the day that the first egg hatches?  It very well could be!  So it becomes even more important that a chick struggling to hatch is not left in the full sun for extended periods of time.  It would give us a wonderful view.  But hatching itself is enough of a battle without adding a blazing sun to it.

Once again here is what you can watch for if hatching is imminent.

Everything will look 'normal' on the nest.

The loon sitting there like she has always done.  Looking around for any sign of danger.

But then if you are watching closely, there is that almost imperceptible movement.  You ask yourself if you even saw something.

Just a tiny twitch that is a little bit different.

There it is again.

Then you are sure.  She is moving differently.  It is as if she is getting poked with something from below!

Finally, you may see her slightly lift a wing.  

This whole sequence may last for several hours.  But then....there it is!  There is something moving under her wing!  Our breathing stops and our heart skips a beat.  Could it be?  Am I really seeing this?  Dare I believe that there might be a living breathing chick hiding under her?

And then it happens!  A little black downy head appears from beneath the wing!  It is!!  Or was it just a black feather I saw?  NO!  There is an eye!  And a beak!!  It is a chick!!

So prepare yourself for that magical "AWWWWWW" moment.  If everything has gone alright in the hidden mystery within the eggs, that is a sight that we should see very soon.  There is no way to adequately prepare yourself for the wonder of that moment.  It is one of those memories that is indelibly burned into your permanent memory.  That in some small way changes your life and affects how you view the world.

Could today be the day?

Sunday, May 30, 2010 6:56am

60 degrees   High Clouds   Wind  South 2mph

High hazy clouds turn the sky to a grayish blue.

They are the forerunners of a weather front that is along the Dakota/Minnesota border that promises to bring rain this afternoon.  One forecast says 'slight' chance of precipitation and another says 'scattered' showers and thunderstorms and yet a thirds says '50%' chance of rain and thunderstorms.

So take your pick!

We need the rain so bad!  You can hear it every time the loon moves or get on and off the nest.  Everything on the nest is so dry it is crisp.  It is amazing the plants have survived at all or that the iris are actually able to bloom.

But the loons keep the eggs in the perfect environment.  A little water brought to the eggs on feathers is just enough to moisten them without cooling them too much.

The loon has just returned from a shift change and is now once again settled on the eggs.

Today should be a little cooler than the last couple days and make it a little easier for the loons.

Highs today are forecast for the mid to upper 70s.  And as I said, that chance of rain or thundershowers this afternoon.

As you saw yesterday, there was a lot of activity on the lake.  And the same is in store for today on this Memorial Day weekend .... unless it rains.  Minnesotans love their time at the lake!

It is something that loons put up with everywhere they are.  Except in the deepest of wilderness areas.

But even though they are sensitive to human presence or disturbance, they are remarkably adaptable.  This nest is a perfect example of that.  As long as humans do not approach too close to the nest, the loons go about the business of laying eggs and hatching chicks and raising the next generation of loons.

This is probably as good a time as any to say THANK YOU to everyone who makes this LoonCam possible  It would not be possible without the understanding and support of family and friends!

Later today we will have many family members gather for a Memorial Day picnic.  And as hard as it may be for them, the kids know that as long as the loons are there they cannot enjoy a day of swimming.  Or boating for the adults.  Or canoeing.  They cannot play in the lake as they usually do.  So for those of you who want to do a nest like this, consider what is involved.  You will give up the use of your lakeshore while the loons are on the nest.

And without understanding and supportive neighbors on either side who are also willing to limit their activities for a month or more in the spring, the loons would not nest successfully.  And so to all of them, on your behalf, I once again say THANK YOU!

And to Ron Schara and the wonderful Minnesota Bound staff, they have done so much to make this possible.

But the thing that makes this all worth doing and watching is what is happening under the loons right now.

New chicks!  Chicks growing and developing inside the eggs.

The normally accepted incubation period of 28 days will be up on Wednesday and Friday of this week for each of the two eggs.  I would expect them to hatch by then.

But it is not out of the realm of possibility that an egg may hatch as early as tonight or tomorrow!!!

It is also not out of the realm of possibility that they may go to 30 or 31 days.  That would mean they would not hatch until next weekend.  If they go much longer than that, there is reason for concern about whether they will hatch or not.

But let me go out on a limb....I would think that the earlier dates are more likely than the latter dates.  I think it is entirely possible that we may see an egg hatch tomorrow...or even tonight!!

But the practice of predicting what the loons will do is very risky.  So feel free to go ahead and make your own predictions.  As with everything else, it is totally out of our hands.  We simply watch.  And marvel.  And enjoy this unique look into the life of these wonderful birds!

So today, may you have a wonderful day and for those of you in the United States,  may you enjoy this Memorial Day weekend.  Now is the time to let your family and friends and kids know about what is happening here on the LoonCam.  The event that we have waited for could happen at any minute!

The sight of two little loon chicks is definitely worth the wait!!

Saturday, May 29, 2010 4:56am CDT

 

56 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

 

It is still 'officially' dark.

 

But already the eastern sky is pink.  There is enough of the  first light of dawn to easily see by.  And the 'early bird' is already telling the world that it is ready to 'get the worm'.

 

The songs of the early birds are no longer a solo but they are already swelling into the anthem of a chorus.  Announcing a glorious new day.

 

And our loon is awake and alert and looking in all directions.

 

The camera has even just awakened and has started to show the first color of morning in addition to the infra red view of the night.  The whole world seems to be coming to life.

 

And under the loon, two eggs are the definition of that new life.  Hopefully two new baby loon chicks now getting ever so close to showing that new life to the world.  Getting ready to make their debut.  Getting ready for a coming out party the likes of which no one can duplicate.

 

But it isn't time for the introductions yet.

 

Soon.  But 'finishing touches' need to be put on our little chicks.  And then they will be ready for the world to see them in all their glory.

 

So our loons continue to patiently wait.  And to carry out their part of the bargain.

 

There are fish that splash and are playing right next to the nest!  They are big enough to even rock the nest a little bit.  That gets the loon's attention and she twitches a little bit, raises her head and looks around.  They are probably only carp and no threat to the loon.  It is probably part of their spring spawn.  But for that little bit it is enough to get her attention.  She is always alert for any danger.

 

Let me explain a little about what you have seen since the camera moved slightly the other night and you now see more to the right side of the floating platform.

 

For those of you who are possibly new to the LoonCam, you are watching a pair of Common Loons (who are anything but "common", they are amazing!) nesting on a floating platform made out of pvc pipe and foam on a nest in central Minnesota in the United States.

 

The loons have made their nest out of all kinds of different plant materials that have been provided for them.  Plant materials that they would find washed up along the shores of almost any lake.  They have built it into the bowl of the nest that now cradles two olive brown loon eggs with dark or even black spots.

To the right side of the platform you can now get a little bit of a glimpse of the willow branches growing.

 

The willow branches line the right side of the platform and are about 3 or 4 feet high.  Just enough height to discourage eagles from swooping down directly on the loon or on the nest.  The willows have begun to leaf out during the time you have been watching.  They are not rooted in soil but they readily form a large mass of roots in the water under the nest.

 

The willows are probably some of what the muskrat was gnawing on when you heard the 'heavy' gnawing sounds late at night.

 

The flowers you see blooming are yellow iris.

 

They are related to the French fleur-de-lis and were chosen because the early French voyageurs, who trapped furs all throughout northern Minnesota and far into Canada, planted irises at many portages along their routes.  To this day, you can still see some of the irises growing along the lake shore at some of the portages in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness!  (Now there is a mouthful!  All of us locals simply call it the Boundary Waters.)

 

But the history and the heritage of the voyageurs is still alive on many of the routes in the Boundary Waters and the adjoining Quetico Park of Canada.  All of it is prime country for loons with thousands of wilderness lakes and travel only by canoe.

 

Many a camper has memories of waking up in his tent to a beautiful morning like this.  And memories of the haunting call of our loons that forever burns itself into our memories.  Calls that echo across a calm wilderness lake.  And then echo back from the far shore.  Up and down the length of the lake.  Memories for a lifetime!

 

You may have noticed that our loons usually face one direction...with their back somewhat to you.  Don't take it personally.  They are not being rude.  Loons normally face out onto the open expanse of the lake.  Where they can get a good view of their territory.  In fact, it seems to be one of the criteria for choosing a nest site.  Can they have a good unobstructed view of their lake.

 

It has always amazed me that if a loon were nesting on a shore, it would sit with its back to the shoreline.  After all that is where much of the major threat comes from.  The shore.

 

Threat from raccoons and skunks.  Mink and even marauding bear.

 

But they prefer to most of the time look out over their territory on the lake.  Their domain.  Their kingdom.  After all, they are birds of the water not the land.

Now they near the end of their vigil and hopefully in just a few days their eggs will hatch and they can leave the nest with two new baby loons.  Leave the 'land' which is so foreign to them.  And so hard to get around on.  And they will return to the water with their babies.  Water that is home and familiar to them.

 

They probably cannot figure out why anyone would want to be on land when it is so difficult to get around.  Why not be in the water where you have everything you need and is so much easier to get around on.

 

But for now, the carp once again play and spawn right by the nest!  And under it.  And they have the loons attention.  In the distance the geese honk.

 

And the birds continue their chorus welcoming the morning sunrise.

 

Can their be anything more majestic?  What man could create something like this even if his mind was capable of visualizing it.  I submit none could.

 

So on this Memorial Day weekend when we remember those who have gone before and given so much, we just say "Thank you!" for such a beautiful gift of a morning like this!  

 

And a loon echoes the sentiment from out on the lake!

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"!