Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:57am CDT

70 degrees  Light rain    Calm

 

I realize that I left out one piece of important information in my posts yesterday as well as this morning.  So here it is in answer to some of your questions.

 

When I put the egg back on the nest yesterday morning, I wanted to do it as quickly as possible so I had it in my hand only a matter of seconds.  I could not take the time to examine it as much as I would like or to savor the moment.  It was get it back on the nest quickly and get out of there.

 

It was much like when I did the loon rescue that I told you about.

 

So many times since then I have wished that I could have taken the time to ENJOY holding a beautiful loon.  To look at every detail of it.  To examine it in depth.

 

Unfortunately, I could not fully enjoy the experience since the focus was on getting the loon back in a lake as quickly as possible and with as little stress on it as possible!

 

I would love to have been able to appreciate the moment more!  But given the priorities, I guess that speed and focus on getting the loon back in the water was the right one.  But it doesn't lessen the desire to have completely looked at and learned more from that live loon.

 

Now, back to the egg.....what little I was able to see of it as I rolled it quickly in my hand as I rushed it back to the nest, I did not see any pips, holes, cracks or anything else that was indicative of it starting to hatch.

 

I did not feel any movement inside it nor did I hear any peeping coming from inside it.

 

I remember thinking that it felt 'light'.  And that it seemed a little smaller than I had expected.  But I have nothing to base that on.  The only other time that I have had a loon egg in my hand is a couple years ago when we removed the egg from the nest so that the loons and the one chick could get on with their lives.

 

But this handling of the egg was so quick.  There was not any time for any scientific observations or measurements. Speed was of the essence for both the eggs and the loon pair that was there.

 

Let me add one other piece of information that you may find interesting.

 

I mentioned that when one of the loons dived as I was backing away from the nest, I watched him as he came toward me.  I was concerned about getting stabbed in the leg.  I could see him underwater as he swam directly at me.  But then he passed about 2 feet to the left of me.  I could feel the water currents from his powerful paddling as he swam by me.

 

But he swam by me with no attempt to stab me that I could see.  Then he made a turn underwater and  came back up off to the left side of the nest and watched as I continued to back away.

 

What a privilege....and responsibility....to be near such magnificent birds!

 

Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:48am CDT

58 degrees  Partly Cloudy  Calm

Not a breath of air stirs.

The early morning gold of dawn silhouettes the loon against the lake.  The perfectly still surface reflects everything around it in amazing detail.  Except for the circles of ripples that mark where a fish has just jumped.

If the loon remembers all the concern caused by one of the eggs being dragged out of the nest into the water yesterday morning, it certainly doesn't show it.  It sits there on its eggs like it has every other morning for the last month.

Last night was the 28 day mark for the second egg and the 30 day mark for the first egg.  Oh, to be able to know what was going on inside those shells!  If there is a chick inside the egg that ended up in the lake, was there any damage by it being in the water?  I can't believe that there was because it was such a short time and the water temperature is relatively mild now and the egg was in the water for only a few minutes.

But only time will tell for sure.

We are still within the normally accepted incubation period and can still hope for a hatch of two healthy loon chicks.  But if we do not see a hatch in the next few days, then concern begins to mount as to whether or not the eggs will hatch.

So once again we wait.

I have watched for any tell tale signs that the egg is hatching underneath the loon.  Every little twitch or movement catches my attention.  And then she settles down again and just sits there.  Right now I do not see any signs that an egg has hatched or that hatching is imminent.  But that can all change in the blink of an eye!

Let me finish the story about the loon rescue that we have talked about the last couple mornings.

So far on "Loon Rescue 24"!!!

You will remember that a loon had landed in a small pond/big puddle in a buffalo pasture.  Unable to take off from such a small body of water, it was doomed unless someone stepped in to rescue it.  After a scare that an eagle or some other predator had taken it, it was found and captured and taken to a lake to be released.

After it had been released and had a chance to get its ruffled feathers all straightened out, it swam across the lake.

Then it happened!

A full blown loon fight broke out on the other side of the lake!!

There was fighting and splashing and penguin dancing and yodeling and tremolo calls and every other indication of a big fight between two loons.  Another friend had told me that he had seen a pair of loons on this lake.  Now I had released a loon and he had immediately gotten into a fight with one of the loons on the lake!  What else could go wrong for this poor loon?

How could it go from bad to worse like this.  First being stranded.  Then dragging himself across land for such a great distance, trying to find a stretch of water big enough for him to take off and fly.  Then being chased and a net thrown over him and a coat wrapped around him.  And this human grabbing him and taking him he knew not where!

My friend who originally called me about the loon said that they had heard another loon fly over the farm several times in the previous day-and-a-half, calling as it flew.  He said it was as if the loon was looking for something.

And now this tired out loon that we had just rescued was in the fight of his life!

It could end not well for our 'rescued loon'.

The two loons fought.  And splashed.  And called.  And chased each other.  

Helpless, all we could do was stand on the other shore of the lake and watch.  This went on for at least five minutes straight!

Then as suddenly as it began, the fighting stopped!

And even more surprisingly, the two loons swam peacefully together!

No more fighting.  No more calling.  No more splashing.

Just peacefully swimming side by side.

We watched for sometime.  But we saw no more fighting and we finally left.

I had to smile and laugh to myself as I drove home.  I don't know for sure that this is what really happened but it made a good and plausible story in my own mind.

The loon we had rescued was not a 'foreign loon' to this lake after all.  It was the other half of the pair that was on this lake.  The loon flying over the farm and calling was not some random loon but the other half of the pair!  She was out looking for her mate!

And now that we brought the rescued mate "home", she swam up to him and started hitting him around the head with her wingtips and loudly yelling at him, "Where have you been?!!!  You don't tell me where you are going!  You stay out all night!  You don't call!  And here I am at home worried sick about what has happened to you!  What is WRONG with you!!!  I don't know if you are dead or alive and you are out gallivanting around!  I even went looking for you I was so sick about it!  What am I supposed to think?!!!  What am I supposed to do?!?!?"  TAKE THIS!  And THIS!!

And after she had gotten it all out of her system, they both settled down and swam peacefully together.

I can't say for sure that that is what happened because I could not hear ALL the words!

But I had to laugh as I drove home after the rescue about the possibilities of that happening.

But at least one loon had been rescued.  Rescued from certain death in that buffalo pasture!

Friday, June 4, 2010 9:12pm CDT

59 degrees   Stunning Sunset   Calm

What a peaceful and quiet end to an amazingly eventful day!

When the morning started, who could have predicted all we have seen and been through today?

Right this minute marks the 28 day mark that the second egg was laid.

Was this the egg that ended up in the lake this morning or was it the 'first egg'?  I have heard of eggs being accidentally kicked out of a nest but this is the first time I have ever seen it happen.

But now, the loon is sitting peacefully on the nest.  The sun has set and painted the northwestern sky with golds and pinks and oranges and purples.  All of it reflected in a lake with hardly a ripple on much of it.  The infrared has turned on and soon the color will turn off for the night.  But if you were unaware of all that had gone on today, you would say that this is perfection!

I read through some of the chat room posts especially about the calling and splashing around 9 to 10 am.

I did not see what happened.  So I cannot explain what was going on.

I wish I had seen it to be able to explain it first hand to you.  A neighbor said that it was about that time that a third loon came in and swam with the other two.  Her description was that they were just 'playing' together and that she thought that was so unusual.  She did not observe any penguin dance or any yodeling.

She said that even after the 3rd loon left, the other two stayed near the nest and "played" for a number of minutes before one of them got back up on the nest.  She said that it did not seem like there was any urgency to get back on the nest.

We talked about the differences in behaviour that we have seen this year compared to other years and wondered if this was the same pair of loons.  So many questions and unknowns!

I wish I would have seen those 50 minutes that they were off the nest to give you a more complete report on what was going on.  But that is what I have been told so far.

I have not been able to read through all your wonderful documenting of all the events of the day since I came home.  But I will try to catch up with all that happened.  Once again, all of you are amazing!  Who could ever predict what a 'family feeling' would develop in this way!  Thank you for all your concern about what is happening to 'the most famous loons in the world' and for being part of it.  Thank you for getting your kids and your grandkids excited about nature and especially about these amazing loons.  Tell as many people as you know to join you in this odyssey.

And so the vigil continues.

Oh how we hope to see two little loon chicks very soon!!!

Friday, June 4, 2010 7:13am CDT

OK!!!  How much more drama can we stand!??!!?

I am just writing a post about there being 3 huge white pelicans swimming near the nest and I look up at the tv just after the loon has gotten off the nest and SEE ONLY ONE EGG!!! 

What happened?!?!

I went down to the lake with the binoculars.  Just then BOTH loons came flying toward the nest from out in the lake.  They landed nearby.

That is when I saw it.

A small dark spot in the water!  Could it be the egg FLOATING?!?!?

I could not think of going back out to the nest!  I did not want to go back out.  But if it was the egg, how could I not?!?!

I tried to make my way out as quietly and quickly as possible.

The loons watched!

They swam close to the nest.

But they did not seem excited.  They did not call.

When I got out there, sure enough!  It was the egg!!

I quickly scooped it up.  Now the loons both started diving!  

One swam underwater very close to my legs!  I feared a stab but he went by me.

I hurriedly went over to the nest and placed it by the other egg and backed away and started my retreat.

It was then that one of the loons did the penguin dance three times.

They are still near the nest.  Hopefully one will get back up soon!

But how much damage was done to the egg by being in the water?

It will be interesting to see how the egg ended up in the water if there is any video of it!  Did it get kicked out?  I have never seen that happen before, although I know it happens.

Drama!  Drama!  Drama!

Friday, June 4, 2010 6:55am CDT

You may have seen the loon in the full 'hangover' position a little while ago.

It was because there were three huge white pelicans swimming by!

Now she gets off the nest and there is ONLY ONE EGG!!!

WHAT HAPPENED!!  

I did not see what happened to the other egg!