Tuesday June 15, 2010 5:13am CDT

 

59 degrees   Light drizzle   Wind SE 3mph

 

 

Two loud wails from the nest pierce the haze over the lake in the early morning light.  A drizzle falls on our loon as she sits on the nest, just like she has for so many mornings before.  Except there is one big difference this morning.

 

There is no egg.

 

But so far it doesn't seem to matter.  It is almost as if the habit is so deeply ingrained by now, that she continues so sit.

 

Even after being off the nest briefly, she once again got back on the nest and tried to roll the egg that wasn't there.....the 'ghost egg'....before she once again settled back down on it.  Complete with the moving of the feet and the wiggle of the tail to get it just right.

 

It is as if she knows that something is not right, but that she is just not sure of exactly what it is.

 

Last night as I began walking out to the nest to retrieve the egg, the muskrat swam across a few feet in front of me.  I could barely see his wake in the reflection of what little light there was in the sky.  I had been worried about whether one of the loons would attack me, but for now I was more worried about the muskrat in the water with me.

 

Fortunately,  he kept swimming and I kept walking. 

 

Many of you were watching as the loon silently slid off the nest.

 

In fact, she left so silently I did not even hear her leave even though I was only feet away.  I was surprised that the nest was empty when I got there because I had not even heard her go into the water.  But then I saw her silhouetted against the same reflection of the sky that had let me see the muskrat. 

 

She was some distance from the nest already, silent.

 

I took the egg and hurriedly left the nest feeling it as I walked.  Just to make sure that there were no cracks, no holes, no sound, no movement of a chick trying to get out.  There was none.

 

In fact, as I mentioned last night, there is the faint but distinct odor of a rotten egg.

 

There was no doubt that this egg was not going to hatch.

 

Fortunately it had been the right decision to take it and to free the loons from the nest.  X-rays may help to determine if it started to develop and then stopped.  Or if it is possible that it was not fertile from the beginning or never started developing.

 

But all of that was forgotten last night when a whole chorus of wails and tremolos and yodels started.  A full 5 to 10 minutes AFTER I had left the nest.

 

My heart sank when those calls started.  I thought to myself, "Oh please NO!  We do not need this!"

 

And they continued on and on and on.

 

But then it quickly became apparent as well that they could not be in response to me taking the egg.  It was challenge calls from our pair of loons to another pair of loons that was about a quarter of the way around the lake.  It could not have been from taking the egg because they did not even know that the egg was gone.  At most it was that their heightened sense of alert also made them alert to the presence of the other pair of loons and their call.

 

But for those first few heart-stopping moments, the calls tore at my heart!

 

Now as she sits on an empty nest, one wonders how long she will stay there.  She has been off the nest already once this morning and returned.  And when she returned she went through her normal 'egg turning behavior and her wiggle to settle down on the nest.  So much that is ingrained.  So much that seems to be habit.

 

I would expect in the daylight, that she will eventually see and understand that there is really no egg there.  Something that she probably had trouble comprehending in the dark last night when she turned and moved numerous times before finally settling down to sleep for several hours.  And I would expect that as the realization that there is no longer an egg on the nest dawns on her, she will gradually leave the nest for longer and longer periods of time.  But this is new territory.  I am not sure if any one has ever seen before exactly what a loon does under these circumstances.  When a "predator" has taken the final egg and there is nothing left on the nest.

 

So we will watch and learn together.

 

She spent a restful peaceful night on the nest with no apparent distress.

 

And for now, she sits on the nest surveying her kingdom in the haze and the morning rain like she has for so many mornings before.

 

One would never guess that this morning was different than any other morning.  But it is.

 

Once again a wail pierces the early morning air.

 

There is no answer from the mate.

 

What will happen when he returns and also finds that there is no longer an egg on the nest to carefully protect and incubate?

 

We can only wait.  And watch.  And learn.

 

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:01am CDT

WOW!

Who could have predicted all that has happened in the last hour!

Absolute silence for the longest time.  And then wails and tremolos and yodels like I have not heard in a long time!

My heart sank when it started.

But then I realized it could not be in response to the egg being gone!  They didn't even KNOW it was gone!

As I listened, it was apparent that half of the calls were coming from a quarter of the way around the lake.  There was another pair of loons over there.  And they were the ones that started the first wail call.  I thought it had been the mate.  But then the wails and tremolos and yodels came from near the nest as well!  From TWO loons!  "Our" loons.  

And the answers came back from across the lake.  Wail for wail.  Tremolo for tremolo.  Yodel for yodel!

FOUR loons calling in the middle of the night!  Staking out territory.

Could all the calling be just a coincidence?  And odd, unbelievable coincidence that happened so close to the taking of the egg?

As now an hour has passed, I think the calling WAS a coincidence.

For the loon eventually came back to the nest.  Settled down as if there were a "ghost" egg.  Tried to even turn it.  Again and again.  Each time settling back down, feet doing their normal shuffle, and the rear end wiggle!  Exactly what we have seen a thousand times before!  Unbelievable.

And then off the nest again and some more calling to the other loons.

But now in a slight rain, the loon is sitting there as if nothing ever happened.

I think she HAS to know that something is different.  But I don't think she knows what yet.  I don't think she can see much better in the dark than I can.  And I know something is different here!  With the egg laying next to me on the desk, there is the unmistakable 'natural gas' odor...the odor of a rotten egg. Not overpowering.   Slight but very distinctive.  And very telling.

More tremolos from across the lake.  But she sits unconcerned for now.

I still can't believe that that was a coincidence with all the calling shortly after the egg was taken!  But there is no other logical explanation for it.  I think it was pure coincidence.  One could not write a screenplay with that in it and still have it be believable.  But we all saw it.  And heard it.  And know that it was real.  That it was unscripted.

I think in the morning in daylight, she will realize that indeed the egg is gone.

I would expect that they will return to the nest a few times and sit for a little bit.

And the times in between will grow longer.  Until they indeed are free of the nest.

But we will leave the camera on for a few days so that you can watch as much as you can of her on the nest now.  And catch the glimpses of them as they periodically return to the nest.  Until the are gone.  After a few days we will probably shut the cam down and bring this season to a close.

But what an AMAZING hour this has been!

I have to admit that it went as good as could be expected.  MY heart sank as the calling started until I realized it was in response to the other pair of loons and NOT to the egg being taken.  Now I feel better.  I was devastated for a few minutes though.

So we wait for the loons to write the next chapter.

We are merely chroniclers!  

[PS  I may be up most the night chronicling what is happening with this amazing turn of events!  I, like many of you, cannot tear myself away.  And I have already filled PAGES of notes in my field manual of what has been happening!]

Monday, June 14, 2010 11:09pm CDT

OK that was not a pleasant trip out to the nest.

Everything went fine and as planned.  I was a little surprised that the loon was off the nest when I got out there.  I kept waiting to hear the splash of her going in the water.  And I never heard it.  She was already off the nest!

I could vaguely see her swimming some distance out from the nest.  Totally silent.  No calls.  No alarm.  No diving.  No splashing.

I quickly made my way back up to shore with the nest while I felt it for any cracks or pips.  There were none.  I held it to my ear to listen for any sounds.  There were none.

But I noticed a natural gas or propane smell!!  It took a second for it to register.  And then it did!!

What do they always say about a gas leak!  It will smell like rotten eggs!  They put a chemical in the gas that smells like rotten eggs to help people know if there is a gas leak.

And it was then I realized that while I was holding the egg to my ear to listen for any sounds, I was SMELLING the egg.  I put it up to my nose.  There it was!  Faint but definite.  The slight smell of a rotten egg.

When I got to shore, I used the flashlight to examine the egg more carefully.

It is a beautiful egg!

But there are absolutely no marks or cracks or holes that would in any way indicate a chick.  Our suspicions had been right.  This egg would not have hatched.  I could even feel it cool slightly in my hand as I walked up to the house.  Cradling it.  Handling it like it was a valuable as pure gold and as fragile as thin crystal.

Once again as I am typing this, I can smell the faint 'natural gas' odor.

But then it started. 

With two wails.  Then tremolos.  Then yodels!

Just what I did not want to happen!

How could they know!  They had not even been to the nest to see that the egg was gone!

I went back outside to listen.  There was one pair of loons near the nest.  And there was another pair of loons calling from partway around the lake.

They were reacting to another pair of loons in the area, NOT to the egg being gone.

Coincidence?  Possible.

In fact, I think MORE 'coincidence' than anything because they still do not know that the egg is gone.  I am sure that a 'predator' [ME!] scaring the loon off the nest contributed to it.  But it seemed to be more the other pair of loons that started calling and then 'our loons' answered!

I know some are probably thinking right now that the loons are expressing loss over the egg.  We have to be careful about putting human emotions on them.  They still do not know the egg is gone.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to come back to the nest.  Or if they do.

I have to believe that they will come back to the nest.

But then it will be interesting to see what their reaction will be.

A few raindrops fall.  Is it too much to believe they are 'tears'?

Monday, June 14, 2010 9:41pm CDT

 

62 degrees  Light Mist   Wind  East 3mph

 

 

And so the clock winds down!

 

In another hour I will make the trip down to the lake and out to the nest to remove the remaining egg.

 

I just read through a number of the chat room posts and I think we all have exactly the same feelings.  As much as intellectually we know it is the right thing to do to let the loons go 'free' for the rest of the summer, the heart tugs and aches.  For a different outcome.  For ANY outcome that produced chicks.  But this year it is not to be!  For who knows what reason.  Or possibly many reasons all coming together.

 

A number of people have told me that 'their loons' have not hatched either nor have a number of other waterfowl.  So we can only guess why.  But at the same time, others are saying that they are seeing loons with chicks on their lakes.  So maybe there is not anything happening other than what is normal.

 

In a way we have gotten spoiled by the success of this particular nest.  Of it producing chicks every year.  And so we take it for granted that we have a right to see two new chicks each year.  But things are not that simple.

 

In fact, in life very few things are that simple.  And this is just a fresh reminder of that.

 

Thank you all for your wonderful words of support and your thoughtfulness.  And to those of you who disagree, some vehemently, I certainly understand where you are coming from and what you are feeling.  I am feeling a lot of the same feelings as are all of us.

 

Thank you also for your concerns for my safety.  I appreciate it very much!  But between you and me, that is very low on the list of my biggest concerns.  But thank you!!

 

 

Monday, June 14, 2010 7:04am CDT

57 degrees  Cloudy   Wind NNE 4mph

Egg #1   Day 40          Egg #2   Day 38

On a cool, cloudy morning, our loon continues to sit faithfully on the remaining egg.

I don't see the other loon right now.  But a boat with two fishermen sits anchored against the light wind out from the loon.  A seagull flies overhead.  And a few other birds are in their morning song.

Everything seems quiet and right.

Right that is except that the hatching date for the loon egg is long overdue.

Does the loon know that?  From all outward appearances today is like any other day.  The loon sits on the egg like it has for the past 40 days.  One wonders how much it knows or understands.  How much is simply instinct.  To sit on the egg no matter what.  From what has been documented in research, it is very possible that it would sit for at least another month or more if the egg did not hatch.  And now there is almost no chance that the egg will hatch.

So tonight at 11pm we will remove the egg from the nest so that the loon can get get on with its life.  

We will duplicate what would happen if the nest were on shore where a raccoon or some other predator would have probably taken the egg by now.  I appreciate the overwhelming support from so many of you to take this action to free the loon to get on with its life.  It is a decision that is not made lightly or done without consultation with experts.

But I FULLY understand the feelings of some of you to not do it.  To wait a few more days.  To give it more time.  Maybe, just maybe it will help to wait.  But then I ask myself, to what end?

So here is what I expect to happen when I take the egg tonight...and some of the signs you can watch for.  As the loon becomes aware of something approaching the nest, she will become more alert and will watch.  When I am about 10 feet from the nest, she will go into the water and swim nearby.  I don't expect her to call immediately but she may.

I will try to find and pickup the egg in the dark [I will have a flashlight but I will use it only in case I cannot see it at all.]  If the loon seems calm, I will try to show the egg to the camera so that you can see it quickly before it is taken.  If there is ANY indication that there may be a chick inside that is trying to get out, the egg will immediately go back on the nest.  But the longer I stay near the nest, the more likely that the loon may start doing  some 'splash show diving'.  So I will try to do everything as quickly as possible.  And to leave as quickly and as quietly as I can.

I would then expect the loon to wait some time .... 10 to 15 minutes ... before she feels it is safe to get back on the nest.  If this were a raccoon or other predator taking the egg, the confrontation would likely be much more violent and distressing and she maybe would not return to the nest for sometime, if ever.  However, I expect that she will return relatively soon.

But from there on, who knows what the reaction will be when she realizes that there is no longer any egg on the nest.  No egg to turn.  My hope and prayer is that there is no great distress and that there is a simple acceptance of it.

The loon may still sit on the nest for a little bit and may even return to the nest a few times to check it out.  But I expect that the bond will be broken fairly quickly.  And that they can get on with their lives.

I have received several reports from other areas where either the loons are long overdue for a hatch or where the eggs did not hatch and they have abandoned their nest.

Is it the unusual weather this spring?  Unusually warm very early and then unusually cool later?  Or is it some other factor that we do not see or know?

Are we aware of it because by simply watching these loons so closely we are aware of every little detail that would have gone unnoticed before?  Surely this has happened a thousand times over through the years.  But for most of us this is the first time that we have ever been able to observe this wonder of nature so close and so personal.  What is out of sight is out of mind.  But because we have been able to watch every minute and every detail with this special pair of loons, we have bonded with them in a unique way and therefore tend to personalize everything.

The same thing that would have caused great joy with seeing a little chick after watching for so long, now causes a deep sense of sadness and longing when it becomes apparent that the chick is not to be this year.  If only.  If only.  If only.....

So there is a certain heaviness in my heart today as we look at removing the egg so that the loons can get on with their lives.  But I am also convinced it is the right thing to do.  And I know that many of you feel the same way.

So today let's enjoy every minute of the view of this magnificent bird today.  All of the various behaviors that we have come to know and enjoy and appreciate with a new sense of wonder and knowledge.

I will try to leave the camera on for a few days even after they leave the nest so that you can catch a glimpse of them now and then.   But then this year comes to an end and we will look forward to next year and a whole new set of adventures.

And life goes on.  In all its innumerable forms.  With all its marvelous variations and twists and turns that are impossible to predict.