Wednesday, June 9, 2010 7:24am CDT

 

58 degrees  Clear  Wind West 9mph

 

 

The all-day rain yesterday brought some much needed moisture.  It was a wonderful soaking rain.  The perfect kind.

 

Now when the loon moves on the nest there is not the crackling sound of material that is tinder dry that you have heard before.  The 'sound of bacon frying' as the rain hits the nesting material has been muted.   And even though the irises are pretty much done blooming, at least they and the daylilies may stay alive.

 

The wind has picked up as a front sweeps yesterday's rain out of the area and brings the bright blue skies today.  The forecast is for this to be a bright sunshiny day but the wind may pick up even more.  It may be time to turn the volume on your speakers down a little bit.  The wind is never as bad as the sensitive microphone makes it sound.  When there is any wind it sounds like a raging Minnesota blizzard!

 

This morning, like every other morning for the last month, our loon continues to faithfully sit on the egg.  We cannot know for sure which egg it is that remains on the nest.  Is it egg #1 or egg #2?

 

Egg #1 was laid Wednesday, May 5th at 9:24am and Egg #2 was laid on Friday, May 7th at 9:12pm.

 

So if this is still Egg #1 on the nest, today would be 35 days since it was laid.  If it is Egg #2, then it would be 33 days tonight since it was laid.

 

Normal incubation time for a loon egg is usually given as 28 days and the literature usually lists 26 to 31 days as the incubation period.  On two occasions we have documented chicks on this nest hatching at 25.5 days.  One year the loons continued to sit on the eggs for a full two weeks beyond the expected hatching day until something, probably an eagle, took the eggs.

 

Another year, one of the eggs hatched and the other one did not.  The loons and the chick continued to return to the nest to sit on the egg until it was removed about 10 days to two weeks later. X-rays of that egg showed that a chick had started to form but had stopped developing at about 2weeks.  That stage of development of the chick fit just about perfectly with the timing of both eggs being immersed in cold water while the adult loon was off the nest - having been chased off the nest and all the way across the lake by an eagle.  One chick made it, the other one did not survive.

 

So we wish we knew what was going on inside the egg that the loon continues to so faithfully sit on.  But we just have to wait.  There is a possibility that the egg may still hatch.  We still hang on to every little bit of hope.

 

But with every passing day...yes, even every passing hour...the chances of a successful hatch go down.

 

But I for one am not completely giving up hope yet.  While I have not given up all hope, I am realistic enough to know that the probability that it will hatch is going down.  But then when the eggs were both submerged in the cold water a couple years ago, I thought we had lost both of them.  I was surprised when one of the eggs successfully hatched.

 

Did something happen to the eggs?  Were they infertile from the start?  Did something else happen?  We may never know the answer definitively.  

 

I cannot help but think back to that cold morning only a few days after the eggs had been laid when they were left uncovered for 31 minutes with frost all over the nest around them while the loons went out to confront an "intruder loon".  It was early enough after being laid that I do not think there was damage to the eggs, but that has always been in the back of my mind.

 

The there have been the other  times when they have been left exposed for longer than normal times on several occasions.  That has been out of the ordinary from what has usually been observed.

 

So the questions continue.  If only there were as many answers as there are questions!

 

But once again this morning, the loon continues to sit patiently.

 

Yesterday some of you saw another behavior that was unusual.

 

For about an hour or two in the afternoon, the loon began nest-building activity.  It was as if s/he was driven and possessed.  I have not seen such behavior before.

 

She frantically pulled material around her on the nest.  Over and over and over.  She would even get partway out of the nest to reach more material to pull into the nest.  And during this time she would leave the egg exposed in the rain as she was on the edge of the nest pulling material.

 

She pulled at the cattails which form the base of the nest.  Even successfully pulling some long sections loose.  She pulled at other material and placed it around the nest bowl.  She even pulled at the roots of the iris nearest the camera and pulled hard enough that the plant just shook and waved back and forth.  She did not get it loose but for a minute I thought that she was going to pull the whole plant up and place it on the nest.

 

It is normal for a loon to pick up pieces of material and place it around the nest throughout the incubation period.  But this activity went far beyond that.  There was some deep urge that drove her.  It was an urge that put her into overdrive.

 

And then as suddenly as it had started, an hour or so later it stopped.

 

It was amusing and puzzling to watch.  You could not help but wonder what was going through her mind.  Was there any kind of "conscious thought"?  Or was it strictly 'mindless'  instinct of some kind that was driving her?  Or something in between those two extremes.   Yet one more thing of so many that we do not know.

 

So once again today, we watch and wait and hope.  And the loon sits.

 

We hope for a chick.  But it is not looking promising.  But hope is still there.  It is too early to contemplate other things yet.  It will be a number of days before we do that.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 6:20am CDT

60 degrees  Raining  Wind SE7mph

This morning dawns gray and cloudy and rainy.

It is one of those rains that could possibly last all day.  Slow.  Steady. Soaking.  And life giving.

This is the type of day that you just want to stay in the tent when you are on a wilderness camping trip.  Sheltered in your tent listening to the drops of rain hit the roof over your head.  Safe and dry.  Maybe with a good book if you have one with.  But what makes those times even more special while you are camping is to hear a loon calling.  Somewhere out on the lake.  Through the mist and the raindrops.  That unmistakable sound.  

The call of a loon.

The sound that sends shivers up your spine and yet inexplicably enfolds you and wraps you in everything that it means to be in the wilderness.  Something exhilarating, yet calming and soothing.  Something that strikes a chord deep within our very being.

The call that is from a world other than the one where we seem to spend most of our lives.  A busy world of noise and schedules to be kept where we live.

But when the loon calls, it is from a different place and time.

The patter of the rain on our tent, the gentle breeze, the waves lapping at the shore.  And the call of the loon.  It is a different rhythm.  One that soothes and heals our very soul.

For our loon on the nest, the rain is no problem.  It is much more at home sitting on the nest during a gentle rain like this than it is when a hot sun is beating  down on it hour after hour.  After all, water is its element.  The place where it is most at home.

And so our loon sits.  Faithfully.

Today marks the 32nd and 34th days for the eggs.  Which one is still on the nest?  32 or 34?  It is impossible to know.

Whichever one is still on the nest, time now starts to rapidly run out as to whether or not we will have a successful hatch.  It is still possible.  There is still hope.   But with each passing day it becomes less and less likely that the egg will hatch.

There are so many questions about why?  But for now we can just wait and wonder.

If it does not hatch, this is the first time in many years that the loons on this nest have not had a successful hatch.

One is reminded again how relatively few of these birds are actually around.  That is one of the many things that makes them so special.  People in the southern 3/4 of the United States and most areas of the world never see the Common Loon.  The loon that is not common at all.

And if they do see it, it is usually not in its beautiful black-and-white summer plumage and they seldom ever hear the loon give its magical call.

So most people in the world are never blessed with seeing or hearing a loon.

But we not only get to see them and hear them, because of the LoonCam we get to see and hear them up close.  We get to "know" them as a friend!

But they remain relatively rare.

In the Lower 48 states, Minnesota has the most loons by far with about 12,000.  Then Maine has about 4,000, Wisconsin with 3,000, Michigan and New York with about 1,000 each and New Hampshire with about 500 loons.

So you can see why seeing and hearing a loon is so special.

In Minnesota too much of the time, we take them for granted.  We don't stop to realize that most people never have the privilege and opportunity that we have to enjoy this magnificent bird.

But then Canada puts all those numbers to shame.  It is estimated that 500,000 to 600,000 loons spend their summers in Canada.  While every Canadian province has some loons, the majority of them are in Ontario, Quebec, The Northwest Territories, Manitoba and British Columbia.  They are truly the voice of the North Woods!

In fact, the Canadian one dollar coin has a loon on the reverse side and is commonly and affectionately known as a "Loonie".

In most areas the loon population is classified as "stable".  But they are an 'indicator species' that gives a good picture of the overall health of the environment.  And so they give us a very good picture of what is happening all around us.

The oil spill in the Gulf has been something that many have asked about.  What effect will it have?

For most of our adult loons it is not a problem yet.  Because most adult loons are on their northern breeding grounds.

But the 'chicks' from the last three years are still on the Gulf of Mexico and so it remains to be seen what the impact will be on them.  And the adults that we are seeing this summer will head down to the Gulf or the Atlantic Coast later this fall.  Will they head into the jaws of the oil spill?  Or will the effects have been mitigated by then?  No one knows for sure.  There will be some impact.  But how much remains to be seen.

But today the focus of the loon is to take care of the one remaining egg.  To do everything possible to make sure that it hatches.

And that is what our loon is focused on.

Monday, June 7, 2010 10:59pm CDT

 

I have been away from here so I apologize for not having seen anything to give you an update on what has been happening.

 

I scanned some of the chat room entries and see that people have been keeping wonderful entries of what has been happening.  But then I saw that you were getting "Ringo" again and could not see the webcam.  The same thing happened to me when I logged in now.  I have sent an email to WildEarth and MNBound about it.

 

I am able to view the cam on my tv but like you I cannot get it on my computer.  Hopefully they will have it back up and running soon.

 

Right now the loon is sitting in the same position that you have seen her sit for so many days.  If you did not know what had happened today with the egg going in the lake for a second time, you would never know that anything was different.  Nor would you know that we are close to reaching the limits for a successful egg hatch.

 

I was not able to bring the egg to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources [DNR] today but will hopefully be able to reach them tomorrow.  My thinking right now is to wait until we see what happens with the second egg.  But I will see what they would prefer to do.  I have messages in for the people that I work with at the main headquarters.

 

I cannot guarantee that they will be able to x-ray the egg like we did a couple years ago.  But I will ask them if they can.  Like everyone else around the country they are tight on their budget also.  But we will see what is possible.

 

Unfortunately a loon egg cannot be 'candled' to see what is in it because of the dark shell and the thickness of that shell.

 

But I will keep you up-to-date on whatever we do.

 

In scanning some of the observations today, I think I was not clear in something I apparently said earlier today.

 

I noticed a number of people talking about the mate having deserted the loon on the nest and being no where around.  I have not looked back to see what I said that left that false impression but it is not true.  I do not remember saying anything like that but I apologize if I misled anyone.

 

The times that I have been home today I have seen the mate several times...even swimming up by the nest and swimming with the other loon.  I think that there have probably been at least a couple nest exchanges today although I am still not able to tell one loon from the other.

 

But the mate has not deserted the other loon as far as I have been able to see today.  Now having said that, I do not feel that there has been the same dedication that we have seen in previous years.  But we will talk more about that at some point.

 

The only thing that I can think of that maybe led some people to believe that the mate had deserted is when I talked this morning about the loon leaving the nest and chasing another loon out into the lake and away from the nest.  Then shortly after s/he went back and swam by the nest, the other loon came flying in and landed near the nest and the two of them swam together.  But I am convince that both of those loons were 'our pair' that has been on the nest....not that one had abandoned the other.  Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

Tonight was the 31st day for the second egg and it is the 33rd day for the first egg that was laid.

 

It is anybody's guess which egg ended up in the lake this morning [was that just this morning?!?!?  It already seems so long ago!].

 

[Just now there were several wail calls from out on the lake but the loon on the nest does not react to them.]

 

It could have been either the first or the second egg.  There is no way of telling.  And it could have been the same egg that was bumped out of the nest last Friday or it could be the other egg.  Once again, there is absolutely no way to know for sure which one was which.

 

As I mentioned this morning, the egg that I retrieved out of the water floating some distance from the nest had no cracks or pips or holes nor anything else that indicated that it was  ready to hatch.  I listened carefully to it for any sound or peeping.  There was none.  And I felt for any movement and there was none that could be detected.  I also felt for any warmth which would be expected if there was a chick inside just about ready to hatch.  And there was no warmth either.

 

So for however it may put your mind at ease, I do not think the egg that went in the lake this morning had a chick that was about ready to hatch.  If that is any consolation for any of us.

 

So now we wait to see what happens with the second egg.  Hopefully it will hatch.  But if it does not, my feeling is that we would give it some reasonable time beyond its expected hatching date before we would do anything.  What ever I do will be done with the advice and consultation of experts from the DNR and other places. 

 

And I will keep you up-to-date about what to expect.

 

Until then, just know that tonight the loon is still on the nest.  Still minding the remaining egg, although I have not seen the egg since I came back in because she has not gotten up and readjusted it since I started watching.

 

Hopefully soon the web feed will be up and running again and you can see first hand what is going on.  Until then, get some well deserved rest!  All of you have been amazing in your dedication to watching and documenting everything that has happened.  You are real troopers and have demonstrated your love and respect for these beautiful birds!

Monday, June 7, 2010 8:23am CDT

 

 

Things are just a little unusual.

 

The loon was off the nest again, as you have seen, and just returned now.

 

While it was off, it went out to meet a loon who was swimming toward the nest.  But it was not the mate, and as she pursued the other loon quickly paddled with its wings and went out into the middle of the lake.  So obviously it was another loon.

 

"Our" loon swam back to the nest but was in no hurry to get back up on the nest.

 

Then another loon came FLYING in and landed nearby.

 

The loon by the nest swam out to meet it and they swam together nearby.  No hurry to back to the nest.

 

Just very unusual behavior all the way around this year.

Monday, June 7, 2010 7:16am CDT

Did you ever think that you would be a part of some much drama and discussion when you first started watching the LoonCam?!?!?

Another day.  Another egg off the nest!

I know that this happens in nature.  Probably more than we will ever know.  But this is the FIRST time that I have seen an egg go off the nest with this particular nest.  Let alone TWO times!

I was able to spot the egg floating quite some distance from the nest.

So once again, it was back out in the lake to retrieve it.

As I reached it, I quickly noted that it was floating pointed end up.  I remember thinking that was unusual.

As I held it in my hand, I struggled with what was the right thing to do.

Return it to the nest yet one more time?  Or remove it from the scene and face reality.

There was absolutely no cracks in the egg.  No holes.  No sound from within.  No detectable movement.  I even carefully felt to see if I could detect any warmth from a developing chick inside.  Nothing on all counts.

So I made the difficult decision to NOT return it to the nest this time!

But as I walked with the egg in my hand, I was still torn.  I would never forgive myself if later research showed that there was a chick inside that could have survived.

But then I also told myself that if I had not seen it, it would not have survived in the water anyway.

But troubling decisions to make.

If there had been ANY sign of a chick....a crack, a hole, a pip, a peep, warmth, movement.  ANYTHING! - I would have disturbed the loon on the nest and returned the egg.  But there was NO sign of a chick.  And even as I have the egg here now, there is NO sign of anything.

I even floated it in water.  Slowly it went from floating on its side to floating small side up.  As if the egg materials slowly settled down to one side of the egg.  Certainly not what one would expect with a chick in the egg.

So after a difficult decision, I have one egg here and will be talking to the DNR today.

The other egg remains on the nest.