Monday, May 30, 2011 1:22pm CDT

80 degrees  Cloudy   Wind 8mph SE

The thunderstorms that came through this morning brought a whole new weather system in with them.

Right now it is 80 degrees.  That isn't so bad.  But there is also 80% humidity along with it which gives a tropical 73 degree dew point.  The high temperatures and humidity will probably set up thunderstorms which are predicted for later this evening.

We have just had a nest exchange for the loons.

I watched carefully to see if I could see what looked like a hole in one of the eggs that I saw this morning.  If it is there, I could not see it.  There is still a very real chance that it was just something stuck to the egg and not actually a hole this morning.

There have not been the characteristic 'twitching' and 'flinching' of the loon if there is a chick trying to get out of the egg.

So I am still very much torn betwixt and between as to whether the hatch has started or not.

There is one part of me that wants it to be so.

There is another part that says just go by the signs and what is actually there and verifiable.  And right now the two views are fighting each other.

The nest exchange was so quick that it could still very well be that the 'hole' in the egg was hidden on the side of the egg away from the camera.  Or it could be that whatever was stuck to the egg fell off.

We can only continue to watch and wait.  And hope.

If the eggs are going to hatch, we are getting very close to the time that should begin to happen.

So one part of me continues to believe there is a hole in the side of the egg and that I heard chirping early this morning.

But realism demands that I wait.  

No matter how hard that is to do.

Questions or Comments?    LoonCam@yahoo.com

Memorial Day, May 31, 2011 5:32am CDT

 

60 degrees  Rain and Thunderstorms  Wind 7mph E

 

 

Is it possible?!

 

Could this be THE day?

 

Is there a hole in one of the eggs?!!

 

There have been a couple of heavy thunderstorm cells that have moved through during the night.  But there has been no high winds or hail for our loons.  Just heavy rain.

 

Amazingly, the loon on the nest sat through both storms with her bill tucked under her wing, seemingly unconcerned.

 

But a few minutes ago, the loon got off the nest and joined the mate who was swimming closeby.

 

It may be hopeful thinking on my part, but it sure looks like there is a hole in one of the eggs!

 

Could this be the first chick trying to break out into a whole new world?

 

Hope rises and it springs eternal.

 

I try to not get hopes up too much or over nothing.  But it sure looks like a hole.  Or could it just be 'nest debris'?

 

For almost the last hour there has been 'chirping' which I had just attributed to the chorus of morning bird songs.  But now I am beginning to wonder.  Although I thought is sounded different than most bird songs  .... it was more a a chirping than the normal bird 'songs' .... I really did not give second thought to it at the time.

 

Now that I think I see a hole in the egg, I begin to wonder if it is chirping of a chick and not the normal morning birds.  It stops for a little bit.  And then it starts again.  Same volume.  Sort of indicating the same location.

 

It is hard not to worry seeing something that is not there and about getting up false hopes.

 

But could it be?!

 

Watch for some of the tell tale movements of the loon over the next few hours when it gets back on the eggs.  The flinches, the wing movements and all the other signs.

 

The rain starts again and the loon immediately gets up on the nest and rolls the eggs.  The 'hole' rolls with the egg and does not fall off.  It could still be something just stuck to the egg, but it makes me wonder even more if it is a hole.

 

Only time will tell!

 

But time passes so frustratingly slow when you are waiting for answers to earth shaking questions like this!

  

 

 

 Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

Saturday, May 28, 2011 10:39pm CDT

 

59 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

 

The loons had a relatively quiet day even with the increased boat traffic.

 

There were several boats and pontoons that came by who were obviously aware of the nest and the LoonCam and had come to check it out.  All of them were very respectful including one that the neighbor asked to move away as they were fishing.  I did not see it as I was gone.  But the neighbor said they apologized and said they didn't know what it was.  Sometimes you have to  give the benefit of the doubt.

 

Tonight I heard yodels and went to see what was going on.

 

The loon was off the nest [obviously it had been the male on the nest] and he was nearby broadcasting his yodel from side to side.  There was no other loon in sight nor any boats nor anything else that was of concern.

 

I have seen this a few times before where the male loon will simply stretch out his neck almost parallel to the water and broadcast his yodel over an arc covering a section of the lake.  Then he turns and does it again to another section of the lake.

 

In these instances, I have not been able to see anything that should cause alarm and it is just as if the male wants to trumpeet to all parts of the lake that he is there and that this is his territory.

 

Some reasearchers tell us that each male has a yodel that is unique to him.  In fact, there are some researchers who believe that the male may actually broadcast how old he is, how strong he is and other information.  It is hard to believe that there is all that information in a yodel and it will be interesting to see what further research reveals.

 

After a few minutes off the nest, the male returned to the nest, turns the eggs and settle down on them.

 

No sooner had he settled back on the nest than 3 loons flew over all the while giving their flying tremolo calls.

 

The male on the nest answered with several yodels of his own but never left the nest.

 

We were talking as we were watching and I said I could only imagine what that loud wail did to your speakers.

 

I have heard it before and it is so loud that the sound system cannot even handle the volume of the call so it sounds distorted.  That is not how it sounded in person.  In person it was  a perfect and beautiful yodel.  I remember when it happened last year someone said they jumped out of their chair and someone else replied that they had to scrape their cat off the ceiling!

  

It is a very loud call in person.  When you realize that it can be heard over a distance of a couple miles, you realize how loud it is.  And then for the loon to make the call right next to the microphone....well, what else can be said.

 

Also, there has been a big spider tonight that decided he wants to be in the limelight right in front of the camera lense and blocking the view.

 

Hopefully he will move on by himself or the weather will move him off the lense.  My fear is that it looked like he was building a web across the lense.  If that is the case, it may trap insects that will additionally block our view.

 

Let's see what happens on its own.

 

As you know, I do not even approach the nest except in the most extraordinary circumstances.  And my position on that has not changed.

 

However, if he totally blocks the lense, I would have to consider when and how I could clear the lense with the least disruption and still give you a better view.  What is it that we have said about the LoonCam?  That is it natural.  And that is what I have tried to maintain at every step and give you a glimpse into the life of loons behaving naturally.  It sometimes seems as if I have gained a measure of their trust.  And there is nothing I want to do to break or harm that trust.

 

So let's take the spider one step at a time.

 

Hopefully we will see two little chicks hatch and leave the nest.  And then no one will care what that "vain camera hog" of a spider will do!

  

Only a few more days to go!

  

 

Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

Saturday, May 28, 2011 12:25pm CDT

 

 

68 degrees  Sunny  Wind  2mph S

 

 

What a gorgeous spring day.

 

Sunshine.  A light breeze.  Loons on a nest.

 

This makes the long, dark, cold, snowy days of winter all worth it.

 

Right now the loon is in somewhat of a cautious hangover position.  Head lowered but not all the way down.

 

She has been this way for sometime.  

 

The reason is that there is a pontoon boat with a family with several kids fishing not too far away.   They are well away from the nest so they are doing nothing wrong.  I am not even sure they are aware of the nest.

 

But I think it is the large size of the pontoon plus young high-pitched excited voices that makes the loon wary.  But she is ok and shows no signs of leaving the nest.

 

On a beautiful holiday weekend day like this, there are many more boats out on the lake than there have been during the cold, windy days.

 

Earlier this morning there was a big fishing boat straight out from the nest.  Once again, well away from the nest.  But they seemed to be aware of the nest and stayed well away from it.  There was one man and two women in the boat.  What was interesting was how the loon mate appeared from somewhere out on the lake and positioned himself exactly half way between the boat and the nest.

 

He was not upset.  He just sat there and preened.  And watched the boat.  As the boat drifted to the side, he also drifted with it.  Always keeping himself between the boat and the nest.  The loon on the nest never once lowered her head.

 

When the boat was far enough away, the loon silently swam back out into the lake.

 

Yesterday, there was a boat with several fishermen in it that was drifting and fishing.  I watched as they came closer and closer to the swimming raft that is out there to try to keep fisherment away.  They cast their lures near the raft to try to coax any fish that were hiding under it.

 

I was worried that they would come close to the nest thinking they could cast there also. But I don't think they even knew the nest was there.  Until they got to a certain point where the nest appeared from behind the raft which had been blocking its view.

 

The loon was in full hangover position.

 

When the woman spotted the loon, she pointed at it and said something.

 

Immediately the man started the electric motor and quietly moved out farther away from the nest where they resumed their fishing.

 

This is what I have obseved in the overwhelming number of instances.  When someone sees the nest and reallizes what it is, they try to move away from it quietly.  It is gratifying to realize that more and more people are becoming aware of loons and joining in the effort to protect them.

 

This Memorial Day weekend, there will be more and more activity on the lake.  We pay tribute to all of you who have done so much to protect the freedoms that all of us have and enjoy.  And we especially honor the brave heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us.

 

May you enjoy this weekend with your family and loved ones no matter where you are.  Hold them close and tell them that you love them.  If you can watch loons in person, you are blessed.  If the only place you can watch them is here on the LoonCam, you are blessed as well.

 

The weather is forecast to be generally good with scattered rain showers and some thunderstorms.  Memorial Day itself on Monday is the day that is forecast for the greatest chance of rain and thunderstorms.

 

While Wednesday is the 'official' day that the first egg should hatch, I would guess that it might be on Tuesday or even Monday.  But who knows what wonder is going on inside the egg and when the chick will hopefully appear.

 

So close and yet so frustratingly far away.

 

But it is definitely an event that you do not want to miss!

 

 

Questions or Comments?     LoonCam@yahoo.com

Thursday, May 26, 2011 8:54pm CDT

52 degrees    Partly Cloudy   Wind  Calm

It is sunset.

The northwestern sky is painted with muted pinks and oranges.

The high scattered clouds are a deep purple.

The night hawks are just coming out and flying over with their distinctive 'peeeeekk'.

The loon left the nest a few minutes ago.  There were a couple wails and a couple tremolos.  Then more.

There is no obvious cause for any alarm.  No fishermen.  No canoists.  No pontoons.  No people or dogs down by the shore that I see.

The mate comes swimming in from somewhere out in the lake.

More wails.  More tremolos.  Then a number of yodels.

Still no obvious reason.  Other than maybe just wanting to make know to everyone that they are here.

They swim together for a while.  Then one of them starts his take off flight.  And the other one follows.

As they swim over the lake, they are both doing flying tremolo calls.  It is basically a tremolo but a little different.  I have come to call it a "flying tremolo".  I realize I did not mention it when I listed the basic calls.  I will have to go back and add it.  I don't know how to describe it.  It is a tremolo.  Very similar to the tremolos that you are familiar with.  But there are subtle differences.

When you have listened to so many calls, you know it immediately.  You know to look in the air to see the loon rather than loon on the lake.

They made several laps around the lake all the time doing their flying tremolo.

I am not sure what the reason was.  Maybe they just needed to go to the gym after sitting on the nest for so many hours.  They needed to take a couple laps around the lake to exercise their wings.

It seemed like it was just a flight of joy.

Whatever the reason, after a few laps around the lake they both landed near the nest....in their characteristic "skid landing" or "controlled crash"!

There still was no hurry to get back on the nest even with the chilly night air settling in.

After 13 minutes off the nest as I write this, one of the loons climbs back on the nest and goes through the ritual of rolling and adjusting the eggs, and then the characteristic wiggle as the loon settles on the nest just perfectly.

Once again, the eggs are warm and safe.

And the loon is settled in for darkness to come.

We now count in days and hours for the arrival of the chicks....not the weeks that we have been counting before.  The suspense builds.

All the questions about the eggs flood in.  Are they fertile?  Are they developing?  What does the chick look like now?  Obviously the heart is beating.  The nerves are in place.  The big feet are already big.  Is the black down already there in some form?  How about the eyes?  The beak?  So many questions.  So few definitive answers.

But the whole process is almost overwhelming.

Creation of a little chick.  Creation of life where there was none just a few weeks ago.  LIFE!  The miracle of life itself!  I want to see the world's smartest scientist create a little loon chick on his own!  My background and training is as a scientist and engineer.  I wouldn't know where to begin to engineer and create a little loon.  Let alone one that could live and grow on its own.

Things too wonderful to behold or especially to understand.  So we just stand back in awe of this creation.

This weekend when our little loons may very well hatch is Memorial Day weekend.

The start of the summer season.  The time when Minnesotans 'head up to the lake' en masse.

The first really big weekend of boating and fishing and recreation on our beloved 10,000 lakes.

The first big challenge for the loons.

This is a good time to remind ourselves and to remind our friends and family about "loon etiquiette".  Be aware of and on the lookout for loons.

If you see a loon on a nest, we all want to get close and look.  Get 'close' with binoculars.  Usually if you stay at least 300 feet away from them, there will be very little stress or impact.  If you see the loon go into 'hangover position' on the nest, just slowly and quietly back away and the loon will soon return to normal.

If you are in a speedboat, be aware of loons swimming, especially if they have chicks.  The adult will usually be able to dive out of danger but the chick will not.  Many chicks are killed this way and even some adult loons are killed by boats.

By following these simple rules of 'loon etiquette', we will be able to enjoy loons for many years to come and pass them safely down to the next generations.

This may also be a good time to talk about some basic things to look for that will signal hatching.  I will try to go into more detail in the next couple days.

The first clue to look for is that the loon is 'sitting lighter' or 'sitting higher' on the nest.  Not snuggled down into the nest bowl like they usually are.

The next thing to watch for is for "flinches".  A wing may flinch or jerk.  The whole body may flinch.  They are reacting to the movement of the egg and the chick under them.

So watch for some of those signs a few days from now.

It gets closer.  It moves faster.  

It gets more exciting!

Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com