Tuesday, April 24, 2012 1:37pm CDT

Just a heads up for those of you who might be watching.

If I get a chance this afternoon when the loons are well away from the nest, I may try to go down and wipe what appears to be a spider web off the front of the camera.  It will probably be the last time I have a chance to do it.

If I am able to do it, it probably won't last more than a few seconds.

But I just wanted to give you fair warning in case you see a hand appear in front of the lens.

It is an absolutely beautiful sunny day here in Minnesota.  Just a very light breeze and temperature of 76 degrees.

And better yet, it has also been a much more peaceful day for the loons.  They just visited the nest a few minutes ago although they did not get up on the nest.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 7:14am CDT

44 degrees F   Clear   Calm

Yesterday was a day that was a little quieter in the "War of the Pansies".

While there were times of yodels and tremolos between competing loons, I did not see any chases take place, although they may have and I just wasn't watching at the time.

There is at least one other pair of loons on the lake that I have seen.

On this cool calm Minnesota morning, two loons sit in the rising morning sun not too far out from the nest.

They are both half rolled over on their sides, their beautiful white breasts exposed as they preen their all important coat of feathers.  The condition of that coat determines if they have protection from the cold water and cold air.  So they will spend a lot of time each day preening and making sure every feather is just right.  And that every feather is coated with a special oil that they produce with a gland located at the base of their tail.

Each of them is doing the "foot waggle".

The foot waggle is when a loon extends one leg out of the water and waves that impossibly large foot in the air.

Someone has calculated that if we were to measure a loon's foot in terms of human measurements, they would have a 46 Triple R shoe size!  That large foot is one of the things that makes loons such powerful swimmers.  It allows them to chase and catch even the most nimble minnow or small fish under water.

No one knows for sure why loons do the "foot waggle".

I have read some researchers who claimed that they did it as a temperature control mechanism and to cool off.  That is one explanation that I personally don't buy or understand.  If they were trying to cool off, it seems more logical that they would keep their foot in the water which is usually much cooler than waving it around in the warmer air.

To me, the foot waggle is yet one more of the many things about loons that we do not understand.

You can even see the youngest chick only a few days old doing the foot waggle.  It is something so characteristic of loons.  I am not sure if other waterbirds do it or not.  I have not observed them doing it like I have seen loons do over and over.

So on a beautiful spring morning, our loons are relaxing.

They have already been up on the nest this morning and mated as well as a couple times yesterday.

They were even up on the nest late last night in the dark.

It is good to see them back on the nest after the interruptions of the last few days and very little time on or around the nest.  Hopefully things are settling down so that they can get about the business of raising a new generation of loons.

One can only wish they would have brought with them the map from last year that they drew with the locations of the territorial boundaries and that they could skip all this territorial confrontation.  But, alas, they seem to have forgotten the map down south and so they go through the re-establishment of territory.

It is amazing to see how well defined the boundaries become.  You can almost draw a physical line in the water which represents the line across which the loons will not stray once they have established the territory.  How they know, I do not know.  But the important thing is that they know where that line is and whose territory is whose.

Once that line is established, there will be more peace, less fighting and less confrontation.  And the loons can get down to what they need to do at this time of year.  Laying eggs and raising young loons.

I got a note yesterday from Carol Jansky at St John's University.  Carol was involved 2 years ago when we implanted the satellite tranmitters in two loons from the St John's campus.  One of the loons they affectionately named "Big John".  She told me that Big John and his mate have already apparently laid egg(s) over the weekend and are now incubating them.

That is what we are waiting for here.

Then we can all breathe a sigh of relief when the eggs are laid ... that is breathe a sigh of relief until the next event in the drama strikes.

Twitter and tweet and let your facebook friends know that now is the time to start watching now if they are not already doing so.  They will never regret being a part of this beautiful drama.

Comments or Questions?   LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com

Copyright 2012  Larry Backlund

Monday, April 23, 2012 6:35 am CDT

30 degrees  Clear  Calm

Large banks of fog drift across a quiet northern lake.

The rising sun is started to chase the fog back and forth across the lake.

Through the fog, the reflections of trees are cast in the smooth surface of the water.  Here and there a fish jumps.

It is a chilly frosty morning.  Frost blankets the docks and the grass and the tops of cars.

And the battle of the loons continues.

A battle for territory.

A battle for a nesting site.

A battle that in this case might be called the "War of the Pansies"!

For that is what this is about.  Which loons will control which part of the lake.  And ultimately which loons will take ownership of the nesting platform on which to lay their eggs.  The nesting platform that a few days ago had some yellow and blue pansies blooming.

Pansies which now are a little worse for the wear caused by mating loons.  By muskrats.  And by beavers.  They are still there waiting to bloom another day.  They have not been eaten by critters.  

And another day will come.

Three loons have been together out toward the middle of the lake.  At times it seems like they are peacefully swimming together.  Then suddenly there will be excited dives and splashing.  And it is obvious that there is more going on than what it first looks like.

It is from these 'splashing dives' that many times a full-blown chase sometimes ensues.

I have not seen a chase yet this morning but I would not be surprised if there has been one or that there will still be a chase yet today.  Obviously there has been no cease fire yet and the terms of the settlement and the boundaries are yet to be drawn.

We get anxious and just want the loons to lay a couple eggs so that in a month we can see two beautiful chicks.

But there is a whole drama that has to play out that leads up to that wonderful event.  And that drama has not yet fully played out yet this year.

Without the Loon Cam, it is a drama that most of us would never even be aware of.  Yet it is an every year occurence for the loons.  Something that happens to loons all over the great north that they call home but that most of us never get a chance to see.  We want all our stories to be all nice and pretty and free of conflict and 'lived happily ever after'.  But nature doesn't always work that way.

In fact, truth be told nature seldom works that way.

So this conflict is what it is.

Even in this we need to look and listen and learn.

I have to be honest with you.  I do not know which loons are which right now.  I cannot tell you which are 'our loons'.  Which ones are the ones that have already been on the nest many times and doing some fairly serious nest building.  They have not been wearing their "runner's numbers" so that we can easily tell them apart.

Two years ago there had been some conflict between loons and that is the year I think we actually had a change of loons that used the nest.  Nesting activity had proceeded like expected.  And then it came to a halt for almost two weeks.  But then it picked up again and 'the' pair nested and laid two eggs.  However, the pair acted different than the one from previous years.  If it was a different pair I cannot be sure.  But every indication was that we had a change.

Who knows what the outcome of this one will be.

This has definitely changed the pace of things and changed the amount of time they are spending on the nest.  I have not seen them up on the nest yet this morning and they were on the nest precious little yesterday.

We can only wait and watch.  And learn.

It is totally out of our hands at this point.  We are mere observers to the great drama playing out before our eyes.

The loons are writing the script to this play.

They are also the directors and actors.

We sit in the audience watching all of it unfold.

Comments or Questions?   LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com

Copyright 2012  Larry Backlund

Sunday, April 22, 2012 9:18pm CDT

43 degrees  Partly Cloudy   Absolutely Calm

I have just come inside after sitting watching the loons. For almost an hour, the male has been near the nest.  [But if it makes you feel any better, even if we were able to have a wider camera range you would not have seen him.  He remained just out of camera range.]  I was driven in by the darkness and by the chill in the air.

There have been several more territorial fights today although I have been gone for a good share of the day so I did not see all of what went on.

Shortly after I posted this morning's entry, there was a full-fledged confrontation similar to the two "chase videos" I gave you.

The 'good' part of this is that the loons definitely have taken ownership of the nest and are trying to defend it.

The 'bad' part is that they use up a lot of energy that they need to lay eggs, hatch and raise their chicks.  And there is always the possibility that they may be driven off the nest and a new pair of loons take over.  I think this actually happened in 2010.

Tonight as I was watching the one loon float peacefully near the nest, suddenly he was on high alert.

I hadn't seen or heard anything but obviously he had.

Just like that another loon surfaced right next to him.

Immediately both loons went into full penguin dance postures.  Their bright white breasts only inches from each other.  What a spectacular sight.  Then one of the loons started rowing across the top of the water as fast as he could go, tremoloing as he went.  The other one followed for a very short distance and then settled back down.

But the pursued kept rowing across the surface as fast as he could even though he was no longer being pursued.  Most of the way out to the middle of the lake Where he was joined by what must be his mate.

The other loon returned near the platform where he kept his watch.

But where was his mate?

No where to be seen.  Even though I had seen two pairs swimming on the other side of the lake earlier in the afternoon.

Now I am confused.  Who is who?  Which ones are "our loons"?  Who are the others?  And 'who is on first'?!

It is like watching a boxing match with two identical twins facing each other.

But they at least wear different color and style of trunks.  In this case, the 'boxers' wore identical black and white and spotted and striped 'trunks'.

So as darkness fell, one loon kept a vigil by the nest.

I know better than to wonder too much and get all upset wondering if the mate to this one is ok.  And where is she.  But I know what I should do.  And I know what my heart and emotions tell me to do.  And right now they are winning.  I cannot help but wonder if the mate to this loon by the nest is ok.  And is this even 'our loon'.  Or is this an intruder who has already carried out a palace coup?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and other mystery writers have written no better mysteries.

We will just have to wait and see what the next chapter of this mystery reveals to us!

Comment or Questions?   LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com

Copyright 2012  Larry Backlund

Sunday, April 22, 2012 6:13am CDT

40 degrees F   Cloudy   Wind 5mph NE

Sunrise Today  6:14am    Sunset    8:08pm

Our two loons swim together, not far from the nest.

Their heads are held high.  On alert.  Both of them looking the same direction.

What has their attention is hard to tell.  But based on the last couple of days, they are most likely on alert for other loons on the lake.

During most of the year, they are able to get along with other loons just fine.  But at this time of the year, during nesting time, another male loon in the area can be a grave threat.  So they are wise to be on alert.

I have not heard any yodels or tremolos so that is hopefully good news.

Yesterday was not the first time there was a territorial face off.  Nor, I am sure, will it be the last.  It is an everyday part of a loon's life.  If you have not seen the two videos I posted on last night's blog of two territorial chases, you may want to check them out.  They are not videos of our loons chasing but they are loons on other lakes chasing each other.  I would encourage you to go back and look at them.  It will help you see and understand what goes on during a territorial chase.  They are very interesting (and even fun in a way) to watch.

As if we needed any more drama, last night a couple of our faithful watchers saw something and one of them captured something spectacular.  Go check it out in the Chat Room at the 4:20am mark.

Some of the willow branches intended to keep the eagles away from the nest, actually drew another visitor to check out the nest.  And those willow branches are now gone because of that visitor.

There was a BEAVER on the nest last night!

A number of years ago before we were on the web with the Loon Cam and before we had night vision, I had suspected a beaver of being up on the nest.  But I did not know for sure.  I could only surmise.  Now this is the first time that we have proof of it with pictures.

When it happened a few years ago, I knew some of the willow branches had disappeared but I did not know why.  I didn't know if a storm had taken them or what.

Only after the season was over, did I discover a clue when I went out to pull the nesting platform in to shore.

Some of the branches had gnaw marks on them and they had been cut off cleanly about 10 to 12 inches above the nest.  I suspected a beaver at that time but I did not have any proof.  As I looked at it, I also thought about a muskrat gnawing them off.  But muskrats tend to go more toward cattails and cattail roots whereas beavers go after the sweet bark of some trees.  Especially poplar trees.  That is like candy to them.

But these are willows, not poplars.  So it might be like sweet corn instead of candy.  Not the favorite but surely still likeable.

In addition to the gnawing marks on those branches many years ago, where they were gnawed off was too high for a muskrat.  But it would have been perfect height for a beaver sitting there gnawing.

And now we have photographic proof of a beaver having been up on the platform.  And some of the willow branches are missing this morning.  I missed all of that.  I went to bed about an hour before the beaver showed up.  I think I am glad I missed it or I wouldn't have gotten any sleep wondering what was going on out on the nest!

But we still have our camera cables!

That is my biggest concern.  Either a muskrat or a beaver could make short work of gnawing through the cables at any time.  And then our viewing for the year would be over.

So enjoy the pictures of the beaver on the nest.  Especially look at the last picture where you can see the loon swimming near the nest while the beaver eats some of the willow branches.

We still have the willow branches on the other corner of the nest.  He did not take those.  So we still have some protection from an eagle swooping directly down on the nest.  But that is also the corner where the camera and infrared light cables come down.  So we don't need him being in that area.

What will today bring?

Your guess is as good as mine.

This is truly "reality tv"!

Will we have more territorial battles?  In all likelihood 'yes'.

Will we have more beaver and muskrat visits?  Probably.  But we just have to hope that they do not do any damage to the video or light cables.

What next?  A raccoon?  A mink?

Both of them could be a danger to the loons and the eggs.

Even though both are capable of swimming out to the raft, the likelihood that they would is fairly small.  The mink would be more apt to do so than the raccoon I think.  And I did see a very large mink going along the shore right here a few days ago.

Raccoons are one of the greatest predators of loon eggs in nests that are built on shore.  That is one of the reasons that loons seem to like a floating nest like this ... it gives them some added protection from land based predators like raccoons and mink and weasels.

So what will it be today that adds even more drama?

Will it be other loons?  Eagles?  Raccoon?  Mink?

You take your choice.

I can do without any drama for a few days.

Other than the drama of an egg being laid.

Comments or Questions?   LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com

Copyright 2012  Larry Backlund