Tuesday, November 30, 2010 11:23pm CST

 
16 degrees   Cloudy   Calm
 
It is a winter wonderland here!
 
Overnight and today we got about 4 inches of new snow and it has decorated every tree and bush.
 
All the trees and bushes look like the finest flocked Christmas tree that you have ever seen.  It is gorgeous.  And it is even more gorgeous if you do not need to get out and drive in rush hour traffic.
 
There is still one very small section of the lake here that has not frozen over yet.  It probably would have frozen over except that the weather warmed up ahead of the snow arriving and then we had heavy rain on Monday.  The rain melted most of the snow that was already on the ground.  But now everything is white again.
 
As is normal with winter storms like this, there is colder weather that is predicted to come in behind the storm in the next few days so I think the lake will finally freeze over completely.
 
If you check the loon migration website, you will see that the loons continue to move.  There has been a lot of movement over the last few days.  The arrival of winter is definitely motivating them to migrate.
 
 
Loon #55479 is now on the Gulf of Mexico near Apalachee Bay south of Tallahassee.  He arrived on November 29th after making stops on Barren River Lake, Kentucky, Tims Ford Lake, Tennessee and Lake Guntersville, Alabama.
 
Loon #55489 stopped on Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee north of Chattanooga on Friday, November 26 and that is the last sighting of him.
 
Loon #55487 has now made it to the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina near Charleston as of Monday, November 29th.  
 
Loon #55488 is still on Albemarle Bay, North Carolina.
 
Loon #55484 moved to Brookeville Lake, Indiana from Lake Michigan on Friday, November 26.  He then flew from there on Saturday, November 27 and arrived on the Gulf off the Florida coast near Loon #55479 on Sunday, November 28.
 
Loon #55490 moved from Lake Michigan to Lake Monroe, Indiana on Sunday, November 28th which is his last location.
 
Loon #55480, the loon from Lake Sagatagans in Minnesota remains on Lake Michigan as of Monday, November 29th.
 
So to summarize, we currently have two loons on the Gulf of Mexico and two loons on the Atlantic Ocean.  So far they are supporting the hypothesis that loons from the Upper Midwest go to the Atlantic and the Gulf on about a 50/50 basis.  Let's see how that ratio ends up when all of the loons make it to their wintering grounds.
 
There are 3 of the loons still on Lake Michigan and two that are in their migration....one in Indiana and one in Tennessee.
 
When and where will all of them go?
 
That chapter remains to be written so stay tuned and keep checking back.
 

Friday, November 26, 2010 7:25pm CST

 
11 degrees  Clear  Wind NW 1mph
 
First of all, I hope that all of you had a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving yesterday!
 
I hope you have enjoyed the fellowship of family and friends and those who are special to you, or memories of Thanksgivings past,  as you reflected on all the good things and gifts in your life that you have reason to be thankful for.
 
Thanksgiving definitely marks the start of the holiday season here in Minnesota.  That wonderful lead up to Christmas.  We have now had snow on the ground for a few days and it looks like it will probably stay for the rest of the winter.  Although that could change.  It is supposed to be up to 40 degree tomorrow.
 
There is still one small spot of open water on the lake here.  The rest has frozen over.
  
For the last couple days there have been 40 or 50 trumpeter swans here on the lake.  For the most part, they have remained sitting on the ice along the edge of the open water.  But now today they are no longer here.  Have they left for good on their way south?  Or will they be back if the water remains open for a few days?
 
How do you ever predict what they will do?
 
Just like our loons.
 
The USGS website has been updated.
 
Two more of the loons (#55479 and #55489) are now  on the move.  #55479 reached Tims Ford Lake near Winchester, Tennesee on Thanksgiving Day.  And #55489 was tracked in flight over Indiana on November 23rd.  That puts him on track also heading toward Tennessee.
 
With this direction of migration, I think that it is a 50/50 chance of whether these two loons will end up on the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast, with a slight probability that they will end up on the Gulf off the coast of Florida..
 
Which way will they go?  Who knows.  Now we watch and wait and once again learn.
 
It now looks like all of our magnificent loons will be on the move in earnest in the next few days.
 
Look and listen and learn along with all the rest of us.  And enjoy watching this miracle of nature!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:36pm CST

 

15 degrees  Clear  Wind N1mph

 

The cold has finally started to get the loons into action.

The three loons that were still on their summer lakes a few days ago have now all moved to Lake Michigan.  So now all of the loons with satellite transmitters have begun their migration.  As I mentioned before, I am a little surprised at how late their migration has begun this year.

Only time and more research will tell us if the commonly accepted wisdom that adult loons normally start their migration between mid-September and mid-October is correct or if we will learn something new from these loons.  Or if it is the mild weather we have had this fall that has delayed the start of their migration.

The lake here that you watched on the LoonCam will probably be frozen over by morning.  If not tomorrow, it will freeze over for sure within the next few days.

I keep wondering about the four loons that I saw swim by on Sunday morning.  Wondering where they are right now.  Are they also on the move?  Have they also made their way over to Lake Michigan or will they take some other route?

Now as cold weather is moving in across the north country, it will be interesting to see how long the loons will stay on Lake Michigan before they continue on their migration.

One very interesting piece of information is that one of the loons really is on the move.  It took him a while to get going but once he started to move, he put it in overdrive!

Check out the migration for Loon #55488.

He started on Lake Manitowish  in Wisconsin.  On September 19th, he flew from Lake Manitowish to Green Bay of Lake Michigan.  He stayed on Lake Michigan until November 17th at which point he flew to Lake Erie, just east of Detroit.

Then on November 19th he flew all the way to the Atlantic Coast off North Carolina where he was as of today, November 23.  He is at the eastern end of Albemarle Sound near Edenton, NC.

So those of you who live in North Carolina or near the Sound may be able to spot this particular loon.

If you go to look for him, look for an adult loon (although he will have finished much of his molt by now and may be fully gray rather than black and white) with an antenna sticking out of his back.

The antenna looks very much like the thin, flexible whip antenna that you would see on one of your kids radio control cars.  It is 8 to 10 inches long and will be located at the extreme back part of the body of the loon on the right hand side.

Let us know if you spot him.  Not only will it be exciting for you if you get to see him, it will be equally exciting for all the rest of us to hear if someone spots him and can give a first hand report about how and what he is doing.

How exciting is this now that the loons are on the move?

I would expect that the colder weather will get the rest of them moving very soon.

Where will they go?  And which route will they take?

To be continued soon!

Monday, November 22, 2010 6:30pm

 

 

22 degrees  Cloudy  Wind E7mph

 

Winter.

Definitely the feel of it is here.  In the matter of a few days we went from a very mild fall to something that now feels decidedly like early winter.

Ice has started forming on the lakes along the Canadian border and even here the ice was out 100 feet from shore on Sunday morning.

But it was not only on the lake that there was ice on Sunday morning.

Overnight, freezing rain had coated everything.  Everything was a wonderful skating rink...IF what you were looking to do was to skate!  By noon much of the ice was gone.  But as I was coming home from church, I turned onto a side road and all of a sudden I definitely was not in control of my car.  It was going all over the place and there was nothing I could do.  I was sure I was going to slide in the ditch several times.  But fortunately, my 'Minnesota winter driving skills' came back quickly even if they were very rusty.

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, I looked down to the lake and could not believe what I was seeing.

There were four loons swimming about where the nest normally is anchored.

I was surprised to see them.  I had not seen any loons on the lake for a couple months.  But there they were.  Four adult loons.  Swimming and diving.  Seemingly unconcerned by the ice that had already formed along the edge of the lake.

I could not stay to see how long they stayed or where they went.

But at least four loons were still here.

I have been somewhat surprised to see on the USGS site that tracks the loons with the surgically implanted satellite transmitters, that three of the loons still remain on their summer breeding lakes.  This is later than what I would have expected and it will be so interesting to see how long they stay.

With ice now forming, they cannot stay too long without putting themselves in danger of being trapped by the ice and not being able to take off for their flight south.

The Sagatagan Lake male is still on Lake Michigan off the coast of Milwaukee and Chicago.  One of the Wisconsin males has now moved to Lake Erie.  That may be an encouraging sign that he may continue to head east to the Atlantic coastline and stay away from the Gulf of Mexico and away from the oil.

It has been hard to find any reliable news of what exactly is happening with the oil in the Gulf of Mexico.  Has it dispersed to the point that it is no longer a threat.?  Is it lying in wait in the lower reaches of the Gulf?  Is it lying in wait in the food chain?  Or have oil-eating bacteria been able to actually digest and neutralize most of it?  And what will happen to the loons who do go to the Gulf?

All of these questions must wait until we can get more data and until we can actually track loons that make it to the Gulf and see what happens to them....especially this years young who will spend the next 2-3 years on the Gulf.

So continue to check the status of the loons on the USGS migration tracking page and be part of this great adventure.

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

This last Saturday also saw a large group of swans stop over on the lake on their migration south.  I estimated that there were at least 150 to 200 swans in what looked to be 4 or 5 distinct groups that spent a good share of the day on the lake.  Then by nightfall they were gone.  Presumably sensing the dropping temperatures and continuing on their way south.

But what a beautiful sight that is to see that many huge, white, beautiful swans gracefully swimming together on the lake.

I expect that this week the lake will freeze over.  That is the normal timetable.  For it to freeze somewhere around Thanksgiving, give or take a week.

And then the use of open water will be done on the lake until next spring.  But there are plenty of rivers for them to find open water for those who really do not want to head south yet.

In fact there is a stretch of the Mississippi River near Monticello, Minnesota where swans spend the entire winter on water that is kept open by a nuclear power plant.  It is striking to see the swans swimming in the rising mist from the warmer water on a cold Minnesota winter morning.

But for now, all animals and birds are in the midst of making that transition from summer to winter and all that means.

Whether finding a place to hibernate, or putting food away for the winter or heading south...or some who seem to revel in the cold and the snow and who now have come into their favorite time of year.

So whether winter is your favorite time of year.  Or summer.  Or fall.  Or spring.

May you revel in the dramatic changes that are now underway and enjoy the wonder of it all.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 11:34pm CST

33 degrees  Cloudy   Wind 3mph NW
 
 
Suddenly the feel of winter has arrived.
 
It is more a return to 'normal' but it feels like winter because of the very mild weather we have had.
 
Most of last week I was up along the Canadian border.  I could look across the lake I was on and the other side of the lake was Canadian soil.  Two countries so similar and so close.  And yet completely different countries.
 
The whole time I was there, temperatures were very mild and in the 50s and it was very enjoyable.
 
But then Friday night hit with a vengeance in the Twin Cities.  Parts of the metro area got 12 inches of snow!
 
All of a sudden it really did feel like winter.
 
I have been surprised to see the loons, in which we implanted satellite transmitters, still staying around.  The commonly accepted view is that the adults start their migration south between mid-September to mid-October and that the young start their migration south between mid-October to mid-November..
 
If you have been following the progress of the loons on the USGS website, you have seen that four of them have remained on their breeding lakes in northern Wisconsin and the others are still on Lake Michigan.  None of them have ventured farther south yet.
 
I keep wondering if it is the unusually mild weather that has kept them from migrating further.
 
That is possibly supported by the fact that one of the four still in northern Wisconsin finally made his way to Lake Michigan on Saturday, November 13....just as the weather turned colder and snow arrived.
 
It will be very interesting to watch to see if the other loons follow him to Lake Michigan now that snow and cold have arrived.  And if the loons that have been on Lake Michigan will now begin their migrations further south.
 
You can follow the migrations of the satellite implanted loons at:
We now have five of the "satellite loons" on Lake Michigan and three still on their lakes in northern Wisconsin.
 
When will they leave?  How soon will they leave?  Will they all leave together?  Which route will they take?  Will they go to the Gulf of Mexico?  Or will they go to the Atlantic coast?  Will any of them succumb to botulism on Lake Michigan?
 
So many questions.  And so few answers as of yet.
 
But you get to be a part of watching and tracking and learning.
 
The more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know.