Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:56pm CDT

 

65 degrees  Clear  Calm

 

 

The chicks continue to prosper and thrive.

 

And grow.

 

They are now in the process of losing their brown down.

 

Over their shoulders and wings, they are already getting their feathers and the down is gone.  The feathers are not the black and white that we know of loons but are a brownish gray.  These are the feathers of a juvenile that they will keep for the next two or three years.

 

But even though the feathers are brown, they have a little bit of mottling that belies the spotted plumage that they will eventually have when they become adults.  However, you have to look closely to see the mottling and the subdued spots.

 

The chicks are now 6 weeks old.

 

The other pair of chicks on the lake also seem to be doing well.

 

A few days ago I was watching the loons through the telescope as they swam directly in front of my place.

 

It was shortly before sunset and both adults were busily feeding the chicks.  They went through their usual routine of dive after dive.  Only to surface with a minnow.  The chicks would swim toward the adult and hungrily gulp the minnow down.  And the adult would make another dive.

 

Then both adults surfaced at the same time.

 

And both adults had a sunfish in their beaks.

 

Once again, the chicks swam to get fed.

 

The first chick gulped down the sunfish which looked to be about 2 inches across.  I didn't know if he could swallow it but he seemed to do it without too much trouble.

 

The other loon had a bigger sunfish.  I would guess that it had to be about 3 inches across.

 

It presented it to the chick but had some trouble getting it where the chick could take it head first.

 

Then it dropped it in the water and the chick craned its neck upwards, opened its beak wide and lowered its head on the sunfish.  But he could not swallow it.

 

He tried and tried.  The adult picked it up and presented it again.  And again the chick had trouble swallowing it.

 

Then the sunfish must have slightly revived because the adult dove but immediately came up with it in its beak.

 

No matter how the chick tried, it just could not get that big sunfish down its throat.

 

After maybe 10 or 12 tries, they just gave up and the adult ate the sunfish.

 

In one swift gulp, down it went.  You could see the bulge in the throat as the loon swallowed.

 

And then it was on to diving again and bringing up minnows that were more the proper size for the chicks.

 

The thing that I keep reminding myself, is that for the last 6 weeks, even when I am not watching, the loons have not forgotten their responsibility.  They are forever on the lookout for danger.

 

And the are forever catching fish and feeding 'our' chicks so that they can grow up to be healthy and strong loons.

 

The wonderful cycle of life goes on.  Whether we are watching or aware or not.

 

 

Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

 

Friday, July1, 2011 11:43am CDT

96 degrees  Sunny   Calm

One loon.

Two chicks.

A calm lake.

But already very busy with boats and skiers and swimmers.

The other adult loon is somewhere.  Who knows where.  I don't see him right now.

But I am not concerned.

As the chicks grow older, one of the adults often will spend time away.  Many times flying off someplace.

To where?  I don't know.

Why?  I don't know.

So many questions that I would like to know at times of what and why the loons do certain things.

Today is already oppresively hot and humid.

We can't seem to get anything midway this year.  It has been cold and windy and rainy most of the spring.  And yesterday we went into full blown deep-South summer.  I know people from the South probably laugh at us for not liking the heat and humidity.  But I for one prefer cooler weather.  The heat and especially the humidity just drains me.

I often joke that when it gets cold, you can always put more clothes on to stay warm.

When it gets hot, no matter what YOUR personal limit is, there is a limit to how much you can take off!

But that is not a problem for our loons.

They are in the water and can stay cool all day.  In fact, because of the weather this spring, the water is unusually cold for this time of year.

Right now the adult and two chicks are swimming straight out from me.  Not too far away from where the nest was.

After not seeing much of them for almost a week, yesterday the spent most of the time in this area.  Swimming back and forth.  Relaxing.  Preening.  Doing foot waggles.  Feeding on uncounted minnows.

In between sessions of mowing in the heat and humidity, I took time to go for a swim to cool off.  Or 'cold off' with as cold as the water is.

One of the loons came flying in with his 'flying tremolo' calls announcing his return.  There was a wail in return from the other adult with the chicks.  They swam toward each other.

The loons were swimming and feeding not too far away when I went for my swim.  I called to them and surprisingly they started to swim towards me.  That does not happen often at all.

I remained quietly in the water and they swam up to about 50 to 100 feet away.  And they just sat there and went about their business of preening and peering and foot waggling.  The chicks copied with their own motions of the parents.

The sun was hanging low in the western sky.  A ball of flaming red in the humid haze.

It was a special moment.

Right now the 3 loons are swimming straight out.  

The chicks are seeming to have fun practicing their newfound diving skills.

This is the first time I have seen this this year.

I have seen them dive but not this much or this often.  They obviously have learned their lessons well since they look much like their parents when they dive.  They slightly rise up, then the body curls over and they gracefully slip beneath the surface in one smooth motion.

One chick does it several times.  And then the other chick, not to be outdone by its sibling, begins to dive also.  Dive.  Surface.  Dive again.  I wish I could see what they are doing below the surface.  Are they just practicing their diving skills?  Or are they actually attempting to catch minnows?  And maybe even actually succeed once in a while.

It is fun to watch them as they seem to be actually enjoying their repeated dives.  The adult just sits and watches.

They are diving for up to 20 seconds at a time.  So obviously they are swimming fairly deep.  And they are surfacing some distance from where they dove.

It is good to see them able to more efficiently dive.  It will help protect them on this very busy holiday weekend with all the boats on the lake.  The lake is likely to be a zoo!  The heat.  The first nice weather.  And one of the biggest holidays of the year with the 4th of July weekend.

It is a good time for all of us to remind each other to be on the lookout for loons and to give them their space when we are out on the lake.  Even though our chicks are starting to dive more and more, that is not the case with all loons this weekend.

Loons farther north and in Canada and also those in New England are just now hatching their chicks.  And those chicks are very vulnerable to being hit by speeding boats when they cannot dive to get out of the way.

So whether you are celebrating Canada Day today or the 4th of July this weekend, watch for loons.

Happy 4th and happy Canada Day to all of you!  May you enjoy this time with friends and family.

Take time to give thanks for all the blessings that are in your life!

Questions and Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

Saturday, June 25, 2011 6:57am CDT

57 degrees  Mostly Cloudy  Wind Calm

There is a great sight right now!

Four loons.  Two adults and two chicks are sitting straight out from me.  Sitting right about where the nesting platform used to be.

This is the first time I have seen the loons in about 4 days.  It has been so windy and so rainy that it has been hard to even see them out on the lake.  And they have not been on this side of the lake at all that I have seen when I have been home.

I have heard them several times but I have not seen them.  They have been somewhere else on the lake whenever I have looked for them.

Two very big balls of brown down both sit floating with their heads turned and their bills buried somewhere in all that down....sleeping.

The two adults swim right next to them.  One of them is doing foot waggles but neither of them are sleeping.  They are alert and looking around.  A few rays of early morning sun touch the stark black and white and it is reflected in the calm early morning waters.

Can there be a better way to start the day?

Can anything be wrong in the world when you are greeted by a peaceful scene like this?

It is so good to see the chicks so big and seemingly thriving.

It is hard to believe that these are the same chicks that only two weeks ago could have easily fit in my hand as they emerged from the eggs.  Now they are at least half the length of the adult.  Maybe even more.

Suddenly the scene is broken.

The chicks are awake now.  The adults are on alert with heads stretched high.  And then the calls.

An eagle is flying over.

The eagle does not even slow down or pay attention to the loons.  It keeps moving to another part of the lake and the loons setttle down.  Now one of the chicks is slightly rolled over on its side doing a foot waggle.  Wow!  That foot is HUGE!

Late last night there was a duel of yodels that went on for sometime.

First from about a quarter of the way around the lake.  I assume that they were 'our' loons.

Then an answer from a quarter way around the lake the other direction.

I assume that is the other pair of loons that nested on the lake this year.  I am still astounded by the fact that we have TWO successful pairs of nesting loons on the lake this year.  I am not sure that has happened in recorded history.  I know that it has not happened in the last 50 years or more.

There is a yodel.  And then an answer from across the lake.  And then an answer to that answer.

Wails and tremolos are added to the mix until the air is filled with a loon chorus.

The concert lasts a full 10 or 15 minutes.

It is a concert that can be fully enjoyed knowing that the various parts of the choir are separated by a half mile of lake and darkness so that there is no physical danger.

It is a concert that is beyond description or beyond the ability of any reviewer to adequately describe.

A couple evenings ago just as it was getting dark, I heard a yodel from somewhere out in the lake.  Due to the wind and waves and the fact that it was almost dark, I could not pick out the loon in the fading light.  But I assumed it was our loons that were out in the middle of the lake somewhere.

I looked to see if I could see what was upsetting them.

As I was looking, a loon came flying over.

Then another one.

I did not see where they landed but I assume that the loons flying over was the other pair of loons on the lake.  And the loon in the middle of the lake saw them flying over and took that as a challenge to his territory.  So he began his territorial yodeling to tell them 'Do not land on this part of the lake.  This part of the lake is mine.  It is where I am raising my family and you are not welcome here.  Go someplace else.'

But at this moment, all of that is in the past.

The loons are now in feeding more.

The adults dive and come back with a minnow.  The minnows they now catch are bigger than were those they caught during the first few days for the chicks.  The chick hungrily gobbles it down and waits for the next one.  Time after time the adults dive and come back with a minnow.  Time after time the chicks eat their breakfast.

The adults do not seem to tire of this routine.  And the chicks do not stop eating.  It takes a lot to fill up that growing teenager.

May your day today be as wonderful as this scene!

Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

Monday, June 20, 2011 5:59am CDT

 

56 degrees   Cloudy  Wind 2mph NNE

 

 

Even though I have not seen the loons or the chicks yet this morning, I can tell you that as of yesterday, they were doing well.

 

They definitely are moving further and further afield and showing the chicks more and more of the lake.  Although they almost always go the opposite direction of the loons with the other set of chicks on the lake.  But there are days now where I do not see them for most of the day.

 

Yesterday afternoon they were swimming together and feeding straight out over fairly deep water.

 

It was the usual food conveyor system that they have down so well now.

 

The parents would dive and come to the surface with a minnow in their bill.  Immediately they and the chicks would swim toward each other and the chick would hungrily gulp it down.  And the other parent would surface with a minnow and one of the chicks would gulp that down.

 

That procedure would be repeated endlessly, over and over.

 

It is hard to judge size relative to when they were just hatched.  But I do not think it is any exaggeration to say that they are at least 10 times the size they were when they hatched.  And that was only a short 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Their body is fully one third to one half the length of the adults.  And they are surprisingly wide when you watch them as the swim straight towards you.

 

Last Friday night, all four loons came swimming in very close to shore.

 

That is very unusual for them to do.  They spent about 10 minutes swimming right next to the shore.  And then they decided to move on.

 

This weekend was a heavy day of activity on the lake.  Speedboats and fishermen and jet skis and sailboats and all kinds of water activity.

 

But the loons seemed to take it in stride.

 

When they are on the nest, fishermen are always a worry since they like to fish close to shore or to anything floating.  But now fishermen are not a worry at all.  Most of them keep a very respectful distance from the loons.

 

Of more concern are fast moving speedboats or especially jet skis who can easily run over a loon without even seeing it or knowing what they have done if they are not observant.

 

The chicks can now dive a little better, but they still are not proficient at it.  They probably cannot get down deep enough or fast enough to avoid a fast approaching boat.  Whereas, the adult loon, although still in danger, can usually dive fast enough and deep enough to avoid a fast boat.  But even there it seems like a loon with chicks will delay diving a little longer than they normally would if they did not have chicks.

 

So once again the plea for boaters to watch out for loons at this time of year is not a misplaced plea at all.

 

In the northern reaches of their territory, loons are still on the nest.

 

So they are still very vulnerable to disturbance or of boats or canoes approaching too closely and scaring them off the nest.  Once or twice is not going to make much difference.  But with more and more boats and canoes on the water this time of year, each disturbance decreases the chances of a successful hatch.  In the worst cases, the loons may actually just abandon the nest if they are disturbed too often during the nesting period.

 

So once again, just remind your family and friends to be aware of loons while they are out on the water. 

 

Loons are amazingly adaptive creatures.

 

We always think of them as the iconic symbol of wilderness.  And they are.

 

I am sure their preference would be for a totally wild secluded lake with no disturbances or predators of any kind.  But that lake probably does not exist even in the deepest wilderness.  Even there they would have to contend with predators - probably moreso in such a wilderness lake.  So they make do with what they have.

 

It has been amazing, if not nerve wracking, to watch our loons year after year put up with heavy boat traffic.  They swim and bob on the waves as boaters race back and forth all around them.

 

Our amazing loons seem to know how to cope with whatever is thrown their way.  If they make it through the nesting period when they can't move away from danger, they seem quite able to cope with just about anything else once they successfully have chicks on the water and get them through the first couple weeks of life.

 

 

Questions or Comments?   LoonCam@yahoo.com

 

Friday, June 17, 2011 7:04am CDT

57 degrees   Foggy   Wind  3mph E

Fog shrouds the lake this morning.

From somewhere deep in the mist comes the call of a loon.

And then it is answered by another.

Our loons are out there someplace.

I did see them several times yesterday as they swam back and forth.

The chicks were active and looked healthy.  They continue to grow so fast.  They are becoming 'teenagers' and their down is starting to look a little more tousled.  Like a teenager with 'bedhead'!

Most of the time they accept the offer of a minnow from one of their parents.  But once in a while they will make a brief dive before coming popping back up to the surface.  It would be so interesting to see what they actually do while they are underwater.  Are they diving  just for fun?  Just to practice diving?  Or are they actually chasing fish?  And can they catch any fish yet on their own?

There are so many questions and so many things that are hidden from our eyes and are unknown.

But gradually we learn a little more here.  A little there.  And increase our knowledge and understanding of these wonderful iconic birds.

It is so fascinating to watch to watch the chicks when the family is just relaxing.

Once in a while they will do what is called a 'foot waggle'.  The adults do it as well.

The foot waggle is when a loon will roll over slightly on its side and wave one of its impossibly big feet in the air.

No one seems to have a satisfactory explanation for why they do this.  But it is a typical loon behaviour.  I don't think I have seen ducks or geese or other water birds do anything like it.  But it is common to see a loon do this.

One of the explanations that I have heard credible people give is that it is a way of cooling or warming their foot or body.

I have trouble believing that explanation.

If they are trying to cool their body, there is no better way that for them to leave their feet in the cool water.

If they are trying to warm their body, why to they do it on days that are distinctly cold?  It seems they could better warm their feet by pulling them in closer to their body than waving them around in the cold air.

So it is yet one more question about loons that is so sorely lacking for answers.

I want to express my thanks to so many of you who were concerned about my physical safety if I went skydiving.  And some who also expressed concern about my mental well-being that I would consider going skydiving!

Well, we went last night!

There were times leading up to it that I was questioning my own mental well-being!

But I have to tell you, it was awesome.  What a rush!

It is too long a story and too off topic to go into detail here, but it was an absolutely stunning experience.  It was a beautiful evening.  I am not sure if God meant for us to see His creation from that vantage point or not.  But it was a wonderful and unique perspective.

You may really question my mental well-being when I tell you that I am seriously considering going again.  I will let you know if and when I do.

Comments or Questions?  Or concerns about mental stability?!!  LoonCam@yahoo.com