Sunday, July 18, 2010 11:42pm CDT

 

61 degrees  Calm

 

 

In the last installment of the story of implantation of satellite transmitters, the second loon was undergoing surgery to implant the transmitter.

 

This surgery was almost identical to the surgery on the first loon that I described to you.  So I will spare you from repeating all of that.  However, the surgery was going a little bit faster.

 

After about 30 to 45 minutes, the doctor had finished with the surgery and brought that loon out from under the anesthetic.

  

Now it was time to attach bands to the leg of the loon as well as a data tracking tags to the leg of the loon.

 

Each of the loons has a silver metal US Fish and Wildlife Service band attached to the leg.  This band has a unique number code which identifies that particular loon allows one to trace a history of when and where it banded.  In additional to the numbered tag, each loon receives two or three colored plastic bands on their legs.  The color combinations are recorded and gives a unique color combination for that particular loon which is kep on file.  For instance, it may be "on right leg red band over blue band".

 

No color combinations are repeated so if you report a particular color combination, the USFWS is able to access the records for that particular loon and no others.

 

But attaching the colored bands in addition to the numbered band, an observer can simply observe the color of the bands on the leg through binoculars and know exactly which loon they are observing.

 

Banding is what I would like to do at some point with the loons on the LoonCam.  That way we would know for sure if it is the same pair that return to the nest each year.  Or if it is the same mates.  It would have answered some of the feeling and speculation that this year we may have had a new pair take over the LoonCam nest.  But for now we can only speculate.

 

The data recorder that was also attached to their legs is an amazing piece of technology in and of itself.  It is able to track the loons position of longitude and latitude, altitude or depth and temperature.  This data is recorded within the small unit which is about a third the size of a AAA battery and should record for one to two years!  This unit does not transmit the data and must at some point be recovered and the data downloaded.  But since loons usually return to the same territory, there is a high chance of recovering the recorder.

 

The technology behind these recorders is truly amazing but I will not take the time to go into it right now.  Besides that, I am not sure I understand all of it!

 

Now we had two loons in carrying crates, recovering from the surgery.  Not a very fancy recovery room but one that was fully adequate for the purposes.  

 

But now all the work had been done on the loons from these two lakes....two males and two chicks.  And we waited for the loons to recover sufficiently so that we could return them to their lakes.  It was now about 2:30am and everyone was feeling the effects of the long day.  But each of us was excited about the success of the night so far.

 

When both loons seemed to be reasonably recovered from the surgery, the decision was made that it was time to return them to the water.  So we loaded them into the vans and off we went for the short drive to the first lake.

 

The first loon was taken out of its crate and set gently in the water.

 

But surprising, it just sat there.

 

None of us mouthed the thoughts, but I think it caused a minor concern in all of us.

 

Normally when you release a loon, they will quickly row with their wings to get away from you and fast as they can and will only settle down when they are 50 feet or more away from you.

 

But this male just sat there.  No hurry to get away from us.  Even when gently prodded he only swam a little ways away.  Then he swam under the dock and sat under there.  He seemed to be doing fine but he obviously was still feeling some of the effects of the anesthesia.  He had no problem holding his head up or we had discussed recapturing him if there seemed to be any real problem.

 

For someone used to watching loons, he was an unusual sight with an antenna sticking up above his body, much like a radio controlled car!

 

But after some time of watching him to make sure he was ok, it was decided that he would be fine and it was time to release the second loon.

 

So back in the cars and off to the second lake which was very close by.

 

When we released that loon, we had the same results.  

 

Rather than the loon quickly trying to get away from us, it just sat there.  Looking fine.  Looking content.  But in no hurry to rush off into the darkness of the lake.

 

Once again I think all of us thought it but did not verbalize it.  We all wondered if they were ok.  We all hoped they were ok.  We all thought they were ok.  But they did not try to move away quickly like we would have expected.

 

So we stood and watched for some time.

 

The loon looked fine....other than for the strange antenna protruding above its back!  There was nothing that indicated any distress or anything to be concerned about.  But you could not help being slightly concerned when they did not do "what they should do".

 

So we waited.  And watched.  And wondered. And hoped.

 

But after sometime, there seemed to be no reason to be overly concerned.  The second loon sat and floated.  Fully in a 'normal' posture.  Just not trying to get away.

 

So we left with a nagging question in the back of our minds.

 

We had another lake to do.  More loons to capture.  And we were running out of darkness.

 

Most of the group left us after we released the second loon.

 

And the rest of us headed to the third and final lake.

 

It was less than an hour away but it was a drive to this lake.  We got there about 4:30am.

 

There was just the slightest hint of light in the northeastern sky as the capture crew pushed off from the shore.  I pointed them to an area of the lake where I thought I saw ripples on the water in the faint light that was available.  The lake was almost perfectly still.  Was it the loons swimming in that area of the lake?

 

The capture crew headed toward that area of the lake.

 

Back and forth they went in search of the loon family.  Then there were recorded alarm calls coming across the lake.  And answers from some loons.  It was hard to tell which was real and which was Memorex!  Then there were the spot lights and you could see the white breasts of the loons as they came into the calls.

 

After a number of lights and tries, the canoe headed back across the lake toward the landing.

 

Did they have loons on board?

 

There now was definitely light on the eastern horizon.

 

When they reached shore they reported that they had almost had the loons in the net several times.  But it was just light enough for the loons to be able to see them and to get away from them.f

 

There would be no more loons captured this morning.  There would be no more chicks.  I would have to wait until another time to be able to hold a live loon chick.  I have to admit I was disappointed.  I wished more and more that I had left the first surgery for even a few minutes to go out and see the two chick that had been captured on the first lake.  But it was what it was.   It would have to wait until another time.

 

So our evening/morning was over!

 

We had successfully accomplished most of what we had set out to do.  It had been a success.

 

Now it only remained to find out if the transmitter worked properly and was able to communicate with the satellite and transmit data.  AND to find out if the two loons recovered from the surgery.

 

But for now it was time to go home and go to bed after a long day.  The USGS crew and the doctor headed out to find a motel to try to get some rest.  They had several MORE nights of this in Wisconsin where they were hoping to implant another seven transmitters in loons.  It would be a long week for them.

 

There is good news in a post script.

 

Later in the day, Carol was able to observe and report that all loons, and especially the two that had undergone the surgery, seemed to be doing very well.  That was very good news and I think relieved all of the concern that we had when they did not swim away from us quickly when they were released.  It indeed seemed that it was just taking a little while for the anesthesia to work its way out of their system.  And now that it had, they seemed to be doing fine.

 

Also, later in the day Kevin reported that he had been able to check the satellite transmission and the units in the loons were transmitting data successfully!

 

All of that was VERY good news.

 

I have asked Carol if she will report periodically what she sees with these loons so that you can keep up to date with them.  Also, Kevin had said that he would be willing to send me a link to the satellite data so that YOU can keep track of where the loons are, especially when they start migrating this fall!  How exciting will that be?!  You will be able to track their migration to see if they go to the Gulf of Mexico or to the Atlantic Coast.

 

And we will be able to track their migration back north next spring!

 

Or hopefully we will be!

 

Sometime soon I will try to do a post about the oil spill and what to watch for.  I think it is one big question mark for ALL of us at this point.  No one knows for sure what is happening to the chicks that are down there right now.  I have gotten one report that some loons have been found dead but I want to get some more verification of that before I say much more.  And then we do not know what will happen when these loons get down to the Gulf, if that is where they ultimately go.

 

Plus, even without the concern of the oil spill, there is just SO much that is not known about loons when they are on the ocean.

 

But these satellite transmitters and data recorders and bands should help fill in some of the blanks in our knowledge about loons!

 

Saturday, July 17, 2010 5:36pm CDT

[We have had storms and tornadoes tonight.  I have a little bit of damage but nothing serious.  I had posted this before the second set of storms hit here but for some reason it didn't post.  Fortunately I had saved it!]

74 degrees  Cloudy & Humid  Storms in General Area with Some Tornadoes

Earlier this afternoon I saw a loon swimming by itself not too far out from where the nest had been anchored earlier this spring.  I am not sure if it was one of our loons but I assume it was.  It seemed to be doing well and was relaxing and preening and doing some fishing.  Fortunately the storms that are passing through the area have been bypassing us and it is very quiet here with just a little bit of rain.  But other areas have been getting heavy rain, hail that has been softball or grapefruit size!!

One of those storms passed close to the area where the loons that we banded are located but I have no reports at this time that they were hit with any of the really bad weather.

I have gotten word that all of the loons that we worked with on Monday night are doing well....except for one.  One of the chicks  has not been seen for a couple days.  There is some concern that something may have happened to it.  There is an eagle nest very close to where the loons have been spending much of their time and eagles do fish on the lake.  The concern is that an eagle may have taken that chick but it is all speculation at this point.  There is no definitive word that we have lost one of those two chicks.  

The missing chick is one of the pair of chicks that was NOT banded that night.  So now we can once again only wait and hope for word of it being sighted.

When we left off in the story, the loon was laying on a multiple layers of white towels on the improvised 'operating table'.  The doctor was just ready to make the first incision to implant the satellite transmitter that could track in real time exactly where the loon was located.

A sterile field had been prepared on both the upper and lower part of the loon.  The first incision was made on the upper side.  This would be where the satellite antenna would come out of the loon.

I have had the privilege to watch several extensive surgeries in my life before.  So I was not fully prepared for the emotions that I was feeling as the first incision was made on this beautiful loon.  I knew this whole project was a very good thing to do and so much would be learned from this research that would be helpful to all loons.  But knowing that in my head did not help some of the emotions that I was feeling in my heart.  I looked out the window and saw one of the college students pressed up against the trailer....she had tears in her eyes.  I fully knew what she was feeling.

I knew the loon was in phenomenally good hands with the veterinary surgeon.  He was a veterinarian from the University of Florida.  He has a great deal of experience and expertise from around the world.  But as he said, this was the first time he had done this type of surgery on a loon.

He proceeded very carefully and skillfully.

The first thing was to open a channel for the whip antenna for the satellite to come up through the loon's body and allow the antenna to 'stand up and away' from the loon's body.

It was difficult to make that channel through the skin and the muscle.  But soon that part was done.

Now it was time for the more serious part of the operation.  The larger incision on the bottom of the bird where the satellite transmitter package itself would go.

The loon was turned over to expose the area near the back of the leg.  And once again the first incision was made.  Once again the difficulty in getting through skin and muscle.  Plus the added challenge of getting through a mass of blood vessels without causing undue damage and bleeding.

You will remember that we once talked about how loons sit on their eggs and brood them.  Most birds will develop an area of bare skin on their abdomen called a "brood patch" that allows the eggs to be in direct contact with the skin of the bird and thereby allows the bird to transfer body heat to the eggs.  Additional blood vessels develop in this brood patch area to bring even more heat to the surface of the skin.  After the eggs have hatched, the feathers grow back over this brood patch.

However, loons do not have this classic bare skin of a brood patch.  To have the bare skin would mean they would lose too much body heat to the cold water that is their home.

But loons do have a brood patch still covered with feathers.  And this area has an abundance of blood vessels that transfer the body heat to the eggs.  This area is near the back underside of the loon's belly, the very spot that you have watched the loon position the eggs so many times as you have watched the LoonCam.

This was the area that the doctor had to work so carefully to establish a space big enough to place the satellite transmitter and well as to make a passage through it to join with the other passage, where the antenna would go, which had been previously made.

It was an impossible balancing act.  Work carefully and methodically to make sure everything was right.  But also to work as quickly as possible to minimize the effect of the surgery and the anesthetic on the loon.

In our briefing session, we had talked about the possibility of actually losing one of the birds.  As Kevin had said, 'the worst possible outcome'.  This was real.  And here we were face to face with it.  A misstep now could be catastrophic.  Holding a loon under anesthesia for a length of time, also took a toll.

The minimum amount of anesthesia was used to just keep the loon 'knocked out'.

Then when there was a leg or body movement, or a fight against the tubes in the throat, just enough anesthesia was given to make sure the loon was comfortable....but not too much that would be harmful or even fatal to him.

A constant balancing act.

The doctor worked carefully  as he made his way through the mass of blood vessels.  There was some blood but compared to what there would have been without his skill it was minimal.  But it stood out starkly like a red stop sign on a white towel.

After more than 45 minutes of surgery, it was time to try the fit of the transmitter.  The sterile package was opened and the satellite transmitter was carefully removed.  The transmitter was fitted into the space that had been prepared.  Then some adjustments.  Another fitting.  Some more adjustments.  And finally it was time to actually put it in place.

The transmitter is a relatively small item but not insignificant.  Much of the bulk of it is the battery pack which powers the unit.  Picture if you will 3 AA batteries taped together.  That is about the size of the transmitter unit.  From this protrudes a wire about a foot long.  This wire is the antenna.

About this time, someone stuck their head in the trailer and said they were finished banding the two chicks and wondered if we were ready for the next loons to be captured.  The decision was made to release the two chicks - now sporting new bands and 'bling' around their legs - in order to minimize the stress on them but to hold off on capturing the next loons until we were finished with this one and we knew that it was doing okay.

So cars left in a rush to get the chicks back to the lake that they had been taken from.  And where mom was probably still waiting and wondering where everyone had gone.  She had just been too cagey to be captured so the decision had been made to take the male and the chicks and leave her on the lake.

I had wanted to go out of the trailer to see and hold the chicks but I knew I could do that with the next pair.  Or even at the next lake.  It was a decision I would come to regret.

Right now, there was a loon that was commanding everyone's attention.

The antenna wire was carefully threaded up through the passage that had been made through his body.

And then the satellite transmitter and battery pack were carefully fitted into the space that had been made for them.

Then it was time to close.

With the skilled hands of a surgeon, the vet carefully pulled and stitched tissue into place.  Antibiotics were used liberally to prevent any kind of infection setting in.  With the lower and larger incision now stitched up, it was time to close the upper incision around the antenna protruding from the top of the loon.  And when that was done, it was over.

Now came the critical part of bringing the loon out from under the anesthesia.  Anesthesia was withdrawn and puffs of air went into the lungs to help flush the anesthesia out of its system.  Local anesthetic was applied to the incision areas to give him relief from any pain for some hours.

The surgery had taken just over an hour.

The loon gradually began to regain consciousness.  He tried to lift his head and look around but would then drift off again.  The tubes were taken out of his throat and he was set up in as natural a position as possible under the circumstances while someone supported his head.

As he more and more came out from under the anesthetic, he began to try to move around so he was moved back into the carrying crate.  He was not yet ready to be returned to the lake.  He still needed monitoring.

But it was decided to send the capture team to the second lake to begin the capture process

As the loon started being more awake, we moved him outside where the air was cooler and fresher.  But he was still pretty groggy.  He would try to raise his head and look around.  Then he would lean over against the side of the crate.  This was repeated over and over.

After about an hour, the capture team came back.  They had only been able to capture one loon.  But it was the male so the second surgery began.  They actually had the female in the net but she made a move in a different direction than the netter had anticipated.  She spread her wings and was able to bridge herself across the net and escape.  Since we were starting to run behind schedule, it was decided to settle for the male and not try any more for the female or the two chicks.

I was disappointed that they had not been able to capture the chicks.  I had been anticipating so much being able to hold a live chick and observe it up close.  But there was still another lake to go.  I would do it there.

As the surgery was underway on the second loon, I talked to some of the students to get there reactions to the evening.  They were all in awe of what they had had the privilege to be a part of.  To observe these magnificent loons up close.  And to be a part of research like this that could add so much to our knowledge about loons.  Especially in light of the dangers of the oil spill that they will possibly be flying back into this fall.  And to learn more about what they do on their wintering grounds, where there is such a huge lack of information.  It would have been good to have had both females as well so that we could learn more about their interaction or lack of interaction during the winter months.  But what we have could add so much knowledge!

As the first loon became more alert, yet still very quiet, several of the students asked if they could see it close up or even touch it.  They were allowed to reach inside the crate and gently stroke the loon.  He made no protest although he was still pretty groggy.  They all commented how soft the head and neck were.  That it felt more like feathers rather than fur.

Several of them also commented about how soft the chicks had been.  One said 'it is almost like holding a bunny, not a bird', which is true.  A couple also commented how 'squishy' they felt.  So very soft and cuddly.  My chance would come to hold a chick at the next lake.

For now, we still had a loon undergoing surgery in the trailer.

[to be continued]

Thursday, July 15, 2010 11:29pm CDT

 

69 degrees  Calm

 

 

On a calm evening under a sky with more stars than one can even imagine, from across the lake comes that sound that all of us love!  There it is again.  One of our loons giving a long, beautiful wail.

 

The call pierces the darkness.

 

There is nothing like it.  Once you have heard it, you will never forget it.  And you long to hear it over and over and over.  In the quiet of the night, it fills everything with its sound.  And we are reminded again how blessed we are to hear it.  How blessed we are to have these beautiful birds that add so much to the richness of our lives.  To be one of the bright but haunting colors in the tapestry of life.  That blend so beautifully with everything else but still stand out so brightly that you cannot ignore them.

 

This is an evening that is repeated across countless thousands of lakes of the north country.  Repeated for those who are laying in their tent.  Repeated for those who are sitting around a late evening campfire.  Loon calls that are burned into the memory forever.

 

The stuff of legends.  The stuff of dreams.

 

The stuff of memories.

 

The events of Monday night were also the stuff of memories.

 

As I mentioned, after we had had a group briefing about what would be happening, the capture team headed out to the first lake about 1030 pm.  There were a group of students from St John's University and the College of St Benedict who been working on naturalist studies and a couple of them had already been studying and monitoring these loons as part of their studies who followed the capture team to the shores of the lake to watch the captures. 

 

One of the professors, Carol Jansky, at the College had been an ardent follower of the LoonCam and it was through the LoonCam that she contacted me to have them considered to be part of this project.

 

While they headed out to the first lake, I stayed behind to help the doctor prepare the area where the surgery would take place and to learn more about the actual procedure and the satellite transmitter that would be surgically implanted in the loon.

 

It took them some time to return with the first captured loons.  But return they did at about 11:30pm.

 

The first carrying crate with the male loon was brought into the trailer where the surgery would take place.  Everything was laid out and ready to go.  But when that carrying crate was brought in, it changed the feel of everything.  This was now real.  We had a real loon with us in the trailer!

 

There were several subdued wails that came from within the crate.

 

Then the time arrived to begin.

 

The lid of the carrying crate was carefully opened just slightly.  And then one of the capture team reached in to take hold of the loon and get control of his bill.

 

Out he came.  So beautiful.  So magnificent.   

 

So out of any element that he had ever been in.

 

There were a couple more calls.

 

He was placed on his back on the surgical table.  It would be an understatement to say he did not like that.  And he struggled mightily as the person from the capture team struggled to hold him and maintain control of him.

 

An IV was inserted in his leg and blood samples were drawn for future analysis, including checking for mercury and any other possible probelms.  And some of the sample will be stored for future analysis in case something that we do not even know about or cannot even imagine crops up at sometime.

 

And then the anesthetic was gradually administered through the IV.

 

The loon quit struggling and then began to go limp.

 

Before the capture team had returned with the loons, I had asked the doctor what anesthetic he would be using.  He said that he would use propofol.  I started to say, "That is the drug that....."

 

But before I could finish my sentence, he finished it for me.  "Yes, that is the Michael Jackson anesthetic"!

 

I was not prepared for the effect that it had on me.  When I saw this magnificent bird go limp, there were a whole flurry of emotions that flooded over me.  I knew that the loon was ok and was in good hands with the doctor who had done numerous waterfowl before, but that did not make it any less easy.  I was not prepared for my own personal reactions.  These beautiful birds that I have worked with so closely for so many years.  And here was one that had gone limp in front of my very eyes.  At the briefing, we had specifically talked about the possibility of losing a loon.  The chances were VERY small.  But this was real life and real life does not always do what you want it to do.

 

My mind told me it was ok.  My heart dredged up every possible emotion.  But it was important to keep those emotions out of it.

 

There was a gaggle of people arrayed at each of the windows of the trailer looking in.  They had a front row seat in this improvised "operating theatre".  A "MASH" hospital.  Noses were pressed against windows as they were no more than 2 feet away from this loon on the table.  Now on his back.

 

The doctor inserted a couple tubes down the loon's throat.  One for breathing.  The other, I am not sure what it was for.  This was not the time to be asking questions.  This was now into the very serious part of the operation.

 

Here was this gorgeous male loon laying motionless on his back on the operating table.  Tubes in his throat.  An IV in his leg for the anesthesia.  Periodically the air bag [I don't know the proper technical terms for some of the equipment] was given a gentle squeeze or two to help him breathe and to make sure he was breathing.

 

The doctor felt around the leg where it exited from the body skin.  We have talked about that before...about how the 'drumstick' part of a loon leg is totally encased in skin.  The doctor felt around the area to determine exactly where to make the first incision.

 

There would be one incision on the underside of the loon where the satellite transmitter would be implanted and a smaller one where the antenna to the transmitter  would exit the body.

 

When he determined the areas for the incisions, he carefully and gently separated the feathers on the upper side and began to prepare a sterile field with alcohol and Betadine and then tape and a plastic sheeting.

 

The procedure was repeated on the underside where the larger incision would be made.  The pure white feathers were carefully separated to expose as much bare skin as possible.  You will also remember that loons do not have a bare patch of skin called a brood patch with no feathers.  So the feathers had to be carefully moved back to either side of where the incision would go.

 

Outside, the other part of the capture team was working with the two chicks....placing bands and data recorders on them.  I could see them outside through the windows working on the other loons.

 

But inside, the moment of truth had come!

 

It was time for the first incision.

 

[to be continued....I know, I know, I can hear some of you screaming at me now!  Don't do this to us!  But it is too long for one post tonight.  So I will continue it tomorrow.  I have one other thing that happened tonight that I wanted to share with you.]

After a couple of meetings today, tonight we went to the  Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St Cloud, MN.  They were having an Art Fair in the Gardens today and tonight.  If you are ever in the area, the gardens are spectacular and are right along the banks of the Mississippi River.  They are well worth a visit.

 

And then to have scores of artists there displaying every kind of work possible and having an orchestra playing  under the trees on the banks of the Mississippi in the midst of the gardens on a stunning Minnesota evening made for a time could not have been better no matter how hard you tried.

 

[By now you are probably saying 'He interrupted the story that we wanted to hear about the loons to give us a travelogue?!?!?'  Stay with me.  This is amazing!]

 

We looked at all the different displays of all the artists.  On the way there, I had said I was not going to purchase ANYTHING!

 

And I fully intended to stick to that.

 

But the first display I stopped at was a young photographer who especially did a lot of photography of Split Rock Lighthouse.  Split Rock is a spectacular lighthouse high on a rocky cliff on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  It is an iconic structure to any Minnesotan.

 

I looked through some of his pictures and there were several of the "I gotta have that" category.  But as he and I talked, I told him I would stop back later rather than carry then around the gardens.  I am sure he has heard that line a thousand times and knew that I would not come back.  And I was trying to talk myself out of buying the pictures.  And so off we went to some of the other artists and the gardens themselves.

 

But the more I thought about the pictures, I knew I wanted to go back and look at them one more time when we were ready to head home.

 

After several hours of taking in the gardens and the orchestra and all the different artists, it was time to think about heading home.  There was something else I saw that 'I had to have'!!

 

It was a beautiful small slab of polished black granite where the polished surface had been cut away to reveal a beautiful soft silver gray mottled background.  But left in highly polished black granite in relief was a picture of two loons, a 'line' of water and the motto "Friends Welcome".  Like I said, it was a 'gotta have'.

 

After I had broken my promise not to buy anything, I headed back to look at the Split Rock Lighthouse photographs.

 

I found the two that I had picked out before.  Fortunately (or unfortunately!!) they were still there.  I purchased them and talked to John, the photographer.

 

He saw the granite carving and was admiring it.  I said something to the effect 'I am sort of partial to loons' or something like that.  That was a mistake!  Or maybe NOT!

 

He said, "Did you see my loon photographs?"

 

I had not.

 

He pulled out several of them and they were very nice.  But I have so many loon pictures that  I do not have room to display all of them at any one time....so they rotate.  But then he said something that changed everything.

 

I asked where he had taken them and he said "On St John's Lake last year."

 

I said that I had never heard of St John's Lake.  Where is it?

His reply stunned me.

 

He said, "I can never remember the name of it.  But it is on St John's University campus."!!!!!!

 

I literally got shivers!

 

I said, "Sagatagan or Stumpf Lake?"

 

"Yeah that is it.  Sagatagan.  I can never remember that name so I just call it St Johns Lake."

 

I was almost speechless!  I said, "John, you are NOT going to believe this but I was part of a team on Monday night that captured the loons on Sagatagan Lake and implanted a satellite transmitter in the male and banded the chicks and the female!!!!   THIS is the loon that we implanted the satellite transmitter and this fall you will be able to follow him online as he migrates south!!!!!"

 

I think both of us were stunned!

 

So needless to say, several more loon photographs were added to the bag with the Split Rock photographs!

[www.superiorphotographs.com]

 

I could not believe the coincidence!

 

OR....was this more than coincidence?  More than happenstance?

 

Was it something else?!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 11:08pm

72 degrees  Calm  Partly Cloudy

Let me first of all answer the question that you are most concerned about.

Our loons seem to be doing well.

A few days ago we were in the lake swimming and both loons came swimming in fairly close to us.  They looked good.

Then today one of them was swimming not too far away and called a number of times.  When I called back to her, she answered.

Today was an absolutely tropical steamy day.  At one point the dewpoint was reported at 86 degrees!!!  And the air temperature was in the low 90's with a heat index of 106 degrees.   For Minnesotans, that is almost unheard of and unbearable.  But at least the loons are able to be in the water to stay cool.

I want to share something with you that happened Monday night.  I was going to wait to tell you until the news had been officially released but it seems to be all over the place today so I guess it is okay to share it with you now.

On Monday night, I had the privilege of being part of a team that surgically implanted satellite transmitters in a couple of loons.

The project was overseen by the United States Geological Service, under the direction of Kevin Kenow, along with the Minnesota DNR.  This was the project that I mentioned to you some weeks ago where we were looking for loons that had had chicks this year.  I want to thank so many of you who sent me information that I could then pass on to the USGS and the MN DNR.  Carrol Henderson, who I have introduced you to before and who is the head of all the non-game programs for the Minnesota DNR, was also with us that night.

They chose 3 lakes for the project....2 lakes on the St John's University campus and one lake near Monticello Minnesota.  Thank you to Dr Carol Jansky at St John's University and Pattie Roggenkamp near Monticello for giving us information about the loons on these lakes.  In addition, the USGS is going to do another 7 lakes in Wisconsin.  I had planned to wait until they had finished their work in Wisconsin and we had more information about that.  But since it was all over the television news tonight here in Minnesota and in a number of newspapers, I wanted you to be the 'first' to know and not the last.

The plan was to surgically implant a satellite transmitter into 3 loons [one from each lake] that night and then to band all of the loons that we captured and also attach a data recorder to their legs.

The satellite transmitter will communicate directly to a satellite thousands of miles above the earth and will report their exact location back to the USGS.  Kevin Kenow and the USGS have done this several times before.  In 1998 they tracked some loons from Minnesota and Wisconsin and then in 2003 to 2006 they tracked a number of loons from New England.  So the idea is not new but the technology has improved greatly.

It is still hard to fully comprehend the technology that allows us to do something like this.  Now with the Gulf oil spill [or as I like to call it, the Gusher in the Gulf...oil 'spill' is much to benign a term for the amount of oil that has been released], it is even more important that we understand better where loons migrate and what happens to them when they get down on the Gulf.  I may say more about that in a minute.

The data recorder that was attached to the leg along with the colored bands would record the loon's location, the temperature and their altitude or depth.  All of this would be recorded within the device which would then have to be retrieved at some point to download the data.

All of this information will help to fill in so many blank spots in our understanding of loon migration and activites on their wintering territories.  There is a real lack of information about loons during their time on the ocean during the winter.  So hopefully this can add some new information and help us understand them better.  This now becomes extremely important with the Gusher in the Gulf and with the potential tragic consequences of that oil.

When the project was first proposed, right away we thought of 'our' loons.  The loons that so many thousands upon thousands of people have watched and fallen in love with.  The most famous loons in the world.  And also the most documented and observed loons.  The loons that each of you have made so famous.

But one of the requirements for this project was that they have chicks from this year.  Partially that is to aid in being able to capture them.  And partially to be able to track the chicks.  And so because our loons did not have chicks this year, of all years, they were ruled out from being in the study.  We were all disappointed.

On Monday night, a group of us gathered at St John's University.  While we waited for the arrival of the USGS personnel from Wisconsin and the veterinary surgeon from Florida, a number of us walked out along one of the beautiful trails through the woods along the lakeshore to see if we could find the loons.  Without too much problem, we found the loons and the chicks swimming on the other side of the north end of the lake....the opposite end of the lake from where they had nested.

Shortly after we returned to the science labs, the USGS crew pulled up with their canoe and with their trailer where the surgery would be done.  The trailer was a 'recycled' FEMA trailer.  I am not sure where it had been used, but the thought crossed my mind that it would be so appropriate if it had been used in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and now would be used for loons that would be heading back down to that same area.  I meant to ask but forgot to when everything started happening.

We all gathered for a briefing to go over the plan of action for the evening before heading out.

The plan was that we would capture 2 loons on each lake and capture the chicks as well.  That would make a total of 4 adult loons and 4 chicks on these first two lakes and then another two adult loons and one chick on the third lake for a total of 6 adult loons and 5 chicks.  Then they would surgically implant the satellite transmitters in the male loons.  All of the loons would be fitted with colored leg bands for visual identification in the future and also fitted with data recorders recorders on their legs.

The same thing would then be repeated on the third lake some 30 or 40 miles away.

The way one captures a loon for this project is the same way one captures a loon for 'simple' banding.

You wait until it is dark.  The darker the better.  You do not want the loon to be able to see you.

You go out onto the lake after dark and try to find the loons.  One of the reasons that you want them to have chicks is that they will likely be swimming together and more importantly, the parents are very protective of the chicks.  The chicks need to be several weeks old in order to be fitted with any kind of bands or data recorders.  Otherwise they are too small.

When you locate the area where the loons are, you play a distress call...which as all of you know is either a tremolo or a yodel call.  This says to the adults that there is another loon on the lake that is intruding into their territory and is also a possible danger to their chicks.  So the adults come to investigate who this intruder is.  Also, since they have chicks, they also tend to stay on the surface of the water more.

When the loon comes close to the boat to investigate the intruder, you shine a bright light in his eyes so that he cannot see either the boat or see you.  This allows you to use a very large fishing net to scoop the loon out of the water.  The loon is put into a crate for transportation back to shore and then back to the 'base camp' for the surgery and/or the banding.

So about 10:30pm it was decided that is was probably dark enough to head out to the lake.

But as with most things in life, there are the plans that are made and then there is the reality of what actually happens.

So tomorrow I will try to tell you some of the rest of the story.

Thursday, July 1, 2010 12:32am CDT

63 degrees   Quiet

 

I wanted to share with you information that I just received today from Carrol Henderson at the Minnesota DNR about the two eggs that did not hatch.

 

As you know, we had them x-rayed and the x-rays showed that one had not developed at all and the other one had a "small dark spot" just under the air sac.

 

Here is what Carrol's email from today said.

"Hi, Larry,

Well, on Sunday afternoon I mustered all my courage and gathered up the two loon eggs from the refrigerator (I promised Ethelle they wouldn’t smell!) and took them to the backyard with my egg drill and oologist’s blowpipe tool for blowing out the eggs.  The egg that you picked from the nest was totally rotten—infertile.  The second one that had the air sac and had floated into the lake had a small embryo of a loon chick which would have been the dark mass just under the air sac.  It had apparently died early in incubation. Uffda did it smell awful, and by the time I finished after about 30 minutes, I had a large entourage of flies observing  the process.  I have refrigerated the eggs and need to get back to them to flush out the inside of the eggs with water to remove more of the smell. They are still pretty rank."

So he has gone WAY beyond the call of duty to give us the maximum amount of information about what happened with the eggs!  He is a great person to work with and he is in charge of all the non-game wildlife programs in Minnesota!

Then he also said, "It looks at this point like we will be able to capture the three loons that we need for the satellite transmitter project at sites that include some that your contacts have provided. I will  keep you posted on our progress."

So thank all of you who gave us some insight and information about loons that have had chicks this year.  As I find out more, I will try to keep you informed.

Once again, I hope that all of you in the US have a wonderful and safe 4th of July.

And just a reminder if you are on lakes anywhere there are loons.  Remind the people you are with to be on the lookout for loons.

Adults can do fairly well with boat traffic and dive out of danger.  But even so there have been reports of adult loons hit and killed by boats and jet skis.  So just ask your family and friends to be aware that they are sharing the lake with loons.

But more important are chicks.

This is probably the most vulnerable time for chicks.

Their first two weeks of life are when there is the highest chick mortality.  Once they make it beyond two weeks, their life expectancy goes up dramatically.

Why is that?

There are several reasons.  For the first few days to a week of their life, chicks cannot dive.  They will try to dive but at most they go down a couple inches and then just pop up to the surface like a cork!  So if a fast boat or jet ski is headed straight at them and bearing down on them, they may try to dive but they cannot dive deep enough to get out of harm's way.  And they are so small that unless a boater is being very observant, he will probably not even know that he has hit and killed a baby loon.

Secondly, with a lot of boat traffic, there is a chance that the chicks will be separated from the adults.  Not only are they in danger of being hit, they are also then in danger of a large fish or turtle eating them or an eagle or gull snatching them.

So they enter one of the most dangerous periods of their lives.  And unfortunately the busy 4th of July weekend coincides exactly when so many loons have their new chicks out on the lake for the first time.  If they can make it through this weekend and the first two weeks of life, the chances of them surviving are very encouraging.

You can help by just reminding your family and friends to be on the lookout for loons and new baby chicks when they are out on the lake.  You could very well save a new generation of loons!  And with the threat of the Gulf oil disaster looming for our loons, every chick is especially important this year.

So have a wonderful holiday!  Enjoy your family and friends and our history.

And especially enjoy our LOONS!