Saturday, May 12, 2012 5:36am CDT

Travis Frank May 12, 2012

45 degrees F Clear Wind 3mph NW

Sunrise 5:45am Sunset 8:33pm

Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans have headed out onto our lakes on this chilly May morning as part of the "Fishing Opener".

In fact news reports tell us that over one million fishermen will be out on the lakes on this beautiful morning.

A little further north as you approach the Canadian border, they are bundled up against the cold morning air which is actually below freezing in some areas.

Loons all across the state in all of our 10,000 lakes, for which Minnesota is so famous, find that they have many more 'neighbors' on the water this morning. Any state or province that has an abundance of lakes has something similar to 'fishing opener' even though the dates may vary from state to state and province to province.

Loons are very adaptable.

But the increased number of boats and people on the water brings increased pressure on our loons as they try to nest.

Very seldom have I ever seen fishermen who do anything malicious toward loons or their nests.

The biggest problem may be that we love loons too much.

That we want to get close to them. That we are fascinated when we see a loon on a nest and want to get closer to see it better. And by doing so, we can scare them off the nest and expose the eggs to the cold and to predators who are waiting for a meal.

So if you are a fisherman or know one, remind yourself to give loons a 'wide berth' on the lake especially around loons that are on a nest.

You would be very interested in what someone else is doing this morning.

Some of you know "Travis" from here at the LoonCam and Minnesota Bound. Many of you have communicated with Travis. What you may not know is that Travis is not only a nice guy at the LoonCam, he is a highly regarded fishing guide

Today Travis has the honor of being the official guide for the Minnesota Governor on this Fishing Opener.

Travis and the Governor were out on the lake at the stroke of midnight. No official word yet on how they did. Now that is pressure to perform. Congratulations, Travis!

The Opener today is the beginning of the season to take the beloved walleye and for northern pike.

But then in a couple weeks, there is another 'opener' that adds even more pressure for our loons. That is when the season to take largemouth bass and smallmouth bass opens.

People fishing for northerns and walleyes tend to fish in deeper water away from the shoreline.

But bass fishermen tend to work along the shorelines of the lakes as they cast their lures for bass. And of course the shoreline is where the loons are sitting on their nests. And the loons can be easily scared from their nests as fishermen approach close in their boats.

So remind yourself and your fishing friends to simply be aware of the loons and give them their space as you fish.

For 'our' loons, there still seem to be some territorial issues that are ongoing.

There were a couple instances yesterday of confrontations that drew the loon off the nest as another loon came into the territory. I am not sure if this is a single unattached loon or if it is one of the loons from the other pair that is apparently nesting once again this year on the lake.

There were even a couple chases yesterday that convinced the loon that he needed to leave the area.

So many challenges to loons nesting successfully.

Challenges that we never see nor even stop to think about.

Unless we take the time to slow down and watch and learn.

But once again today, you have the opportunity through the LoonCam to get within 3 feet of a loon on a nest. And watch and observe to your hearts content without ever causing a bit of concern or stress to the loons. What a miracle this is. Researchers in years past would have given anything to view and study and understand loons the way you are able to do from the comfort of your home! Sometimes even without getting out of bed.

So enjoy it today.

Marvel at the wonder and beauty of this magnificent bird.

And enjoy the beauty of all the miracles that are all around you.

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

Friday, May 11, 2012 5:34am CDT

Travis Frank May 11, 2012

61 degrees F Clear Wind 2mph S

Sunrise 5:47am Sunset 8:32pm

Our loon sits on the nest facing out into the lake surveying all of her kingdom.

Underneath her the precious cargo of two eggs rest safely.

The second egg arrived yesterday morning, slightly less than 24 hours ago.

Now they can get down to serious business. For the next four weeks the loons will seldom be off the eggs except for short periods of time.

The 'normal' incubation period for loon eggs is 28 days. But that can vary from as short as 25.5 days to as long as 30 days. This should place the hatching of the eggs sometime during the first week of June.

So now they settle in for the long haul.

There are still many dangers and still many things that can go wrong. But all the hope of the loons for this year is now tied up in these two eggs.

One of the first challenges for the loons comes tomorrow.

One of the "religious" holidays in Minnesota, almost on a par with Christmas and Easter, comes tomorrow.

It is called the 'Fishing Opener'.

This is the first day of the year that fishermen can legally take game fish, especially Minnesota's favorite fish and official state fish, the walleye. On this day, hundreds of thousands of people load up their boats and their gear and head for the lake. Many of them will head out onto the lake at the stroke of midnight tonight to try their luck at catching fish. And gaining bragging rights.

With all those fishermen comes increased pressure on loons. The increased activity puts fishermen and loons in close proximity of each other. If the fishermen approach too close to a loon nest, they can scare the loon off the nest.

Being scared off the nest one time will not have too much of an effect.

But if they are scared off once by one fisherman, then again by another. And another and another and another. Soon the effect becomes cumulutive and the loons may actually abandon the nest if they are scared off too many times.

A good rule of thumb if you are out in a boat and see a loon nest is to stay a distance away from it.

All of us are curious. We want to see something so interesting and wonderful. And we want to see it up close. So we approach too close and we scare the loons off the nest.

So if you are going fishing or if you know someone who is, encourage them to stay at least 300 feet away from any loons or loon nest. Bring your binoculars with you and watch them that way. By doing that, you will not add to the stress on nesting loons. And you will not be part of a pair of loons possibly abandoning their nest.

One of the other things that fishermen can do is to consider replacing their lead sinkers and jigs with non-lead versions.

Loons have been know to pick up lead sinkers off the bottom of the lake thinking they are a small stone which they need to grind their food in their gizzard. But one lead sinker ingested by a loon is enough to kill him.

Apparently the territorial battles are not over completely yet.

Last night around 8pm the loon was drawn off the nest.

Soon there was some excited diving and splashing by two loons. And then one of them took off frantically rowing and flapping along the surface of the water. He stopped and sat with his head in the water peering underneath him. Then what apparently was 'our' loon would surface near him and he would take off flapping again to get away. Making a tremolo call as he scooted along the surface of the water. A loon, 'our' loon would surface right where he had been sitting.

This occurred over and over.

Finally he decided enough was enough. And he left the area.

And our loon returned to take care of the nest and the two precious eggs.

Once again, peace had returned to the lake. But apparently all loons had not signed the peace treaty and not all of them had agreed on the 'territorial lines' that had been drawn.

What will happen today?

There is only one way to find out.

And that is to watch and not miss a minute of the LoonCam.

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

Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:49pm CDT

Travis Frank May 10, 2012

We have a SECOND EGG.

According to all the faithful viewers and those who post in the chat room, the egg arrived at 7:57 or 7:58am, CDT this morning.

Thank you for all of you who so faithfully watched and documented this for all the rest of us who were not able to watch it live.

Thursday, May 10, 2012 5:08am CDT

Travis Frank May 10, 2012

42 degrees F Clear Calm

Sunrise 5:48am Sunset 8:31pm

One loon on the nest.

The other floating nearby.

The first hints of daylight start to illuminate the surface of a completely calm northern lake. The dark outline of the trees of the opposite shore are perfectly reflected in the mirror of the lake, as is the floating loon.

Little wisps of fog drift across the lake in the chilly morning air.

Elsewhere, other birds are beginning to wake up and start their early morning songs.

All is well with the world.

Today promises to be a spectacular "Minnesota day" with temperatures in the mid-70s, blue skies and bluer lakes. Tomorrow we return to the possibility of thunderstorms.

Will today be the day that we see the long awaited second egg? If past history and experience teach us anything, it could very well be. One would expect that the loons would lay a second egg. But there is no guarantee of it. Sometimes they only lay one egg.

Then we start the countdown to hatching.

The most exciting time when we finally are able to see a little chick peek out from under the adult.

That impossibly cute ball of black down. Whereas some young of birds are downright ugly, there cannot be a person in the world with a heart so jaded who sees a little black downy loon chick with the bright white belly that does not immediately and reflexively say "Awwwwwwww!".

The normally accepted incubation period for loons is 28 days. With a range of 26 to 30 days.

On this particular nest, by being able to so closely observe because of the Loon Cam, we have been somewhat rewriting that commonly accepted wisdom. We have seen eggs hatch in as little as 25.5 days. We can only wait to see what happens this year.

But you are a part of something that loon researchers through the years could only dream about.

They could tell that a loon had laid an egg.

But they never knew for sure exactly when it was laid. And they never got a chance to see it actually BEING laid. But you get a chance at both of them. We can know almost to the minute when the egg was laid. And we can know very closely the time the chick actually hatches.

You may see a number of insects flying around the nest today.

We are in the middle of the mayfly hatch. They hatch, live for only a few hours or a day, and then die. But they emerge by the thousands.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Baetis_tricaudatus_male_subimago_crop.jpg/480px-Baetis_tricaudatus_male_subimago_crop.jpg

They do not bite nor cause any other harm. But sometimes their sheer numbers can be overwhelming as they fly around you. They flutter upwards and then spread their wings and just float down. Then flutter up and float down. Repeating this over and over.

So you may see them around the nest and around the loons. But do not worry. Unlike another fly, which we will talk about some other time, mayflies do no harm to our loons.

Our ever hardy pansies and irises on the nest continue their struggle to survive.

The roots of one of the clumps of irises that was completely uprooted lie exposed to the sun and air. It is questionable if it will survive for the next thirty days. But it is trying.

The yellow pansy was pulled out completely by the loons and now resides in the bowl of the nest. The entire rootball was pulled out along with the plant. Yesterday it even looked like it was trying to bloom even as the loons sat on it.

I wonder if I can get my money back! Do pansies come with a loon moneyback guarantee?

I keep hoping that if the loon continues to sit on the pansy and the rootball, that she may actually hatch a full flat of pansies for me!

Since I will be in meetings all day, I unfortunately will miss the laying of the second egg if it happens today.

So thank you in advance to all of you who so carefully watch and document all that happens on the nest. It is a great service to others who are not able to watch as often.

Maybe there will be another video of the actual laying of the egg if it happens today.

But for now, sit back and enjoy the beauty of 'our' loons.

And marvel at the miracle that is the formation of new life out of nothing.

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

I do eventually read all emails. But because of the volume of them, I am not able to respond personally to each one. But when the same question is asked by several people, I will try to answer it here in the Blog.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 6:22am CDT

Travis Frank May 9, 2012

44 degrees Clear Wind 4mph N

Sunrise 5:49am Sunset 8:30am

Today promises to be a beautiful day for our loons.

Blue skies, mild temperatures, light winds and a break from the rain that we have had so much of.

A few weeks ago, the lake was on the normal to low side. Now it is high. In a couple weeks it has come up at least 8 to 10 inches from all the rain we have had.

This is the type of condition that washes many loon nests away.

They will build them at a safe distance above the water and then the water rises and inundates them. This is the cause of failure of many loon nests. But it is one of the reasons that a floating nest platform like this helps loons nest successfully. When the water rises, the nest rises along with the rising water. And when the water falls, the nest falls with the lowering water.

This morning we still have only one egg on the nest.

Over the last 6 years, the shortest time between eggs on this nest has been 34 hours and the longest time has been 70 hours. We are now at 35 hours since this first egg was laid. So I would expect that we will see the second egg within the next day. But there is no way to predict that for sure.

Loons sometimes will lay only one egg. And rarely they will lay 3 eggs.

Biologists feel that the number of eggs and chicks sometimes is controlled by the amount of food available to the loons. More food, more eggs. Food lacking, less eggs.

In this case, that should not be a problem for these loons. There is plenty of food available for them. The lake has an abundance of small fish and minnows. The loons love minnows, small sunfish and perch.

A loon's diet is made up almost exclusively of fish, with a few water insects, crayfish and leeches thrown in as appetizers.

If a lake does not have a good food supply (in addition to other factors), loons will not nest there.

If we are going to have a second egg (and I have no reason to think we will not), it should happen in the next day-and-a-half. We have had two eggs on this particular nest every year. We have never had only one egg nor have we had three eggs.

The loons have been off the nest more than I would like to see. But they know better what they are doing than I ever could.

The weather has been mild and so there has been no danger from very cold weather.

You will remember that a couple years ago the loons were drawn off the nest on a very cold and frosty morning for over half an hour. That year neither egg hatched and when we x-rayed and examined the eggs it is very probably that they were lost that morning.

The average last frost date for the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul is May 10th, tomorrow.

But further north here at the lake, the average date of the last frost for the year is May 20th. So even though the forecast for the next several days is for very nice and mild weather, we could still get some frost yet this spring. I don't expect it but it is very possible.

The territorial battles among loons on the lake is still not over.

You will occasionally hear yodels which is the call made by the male as he stakes out his territory.

I have seen a couple chases and confrontations between loons over the last few days. But for the most part, the yodel calls are simply the male broadcasting to anyone within earshot that this is his territory.

Another resident on the lake told me last week that he had seen another loon building a nest in the same general area where a pair built a nest last year. Last year was the first year in my memory when two pairs of loons had built nests on this lake and both of them had two chicks and successfully raised them to adulthood.

This other pair of loons (and maybe a single loon or two) probably explains the territorial battles that we have seen and explains some of the tremolos and yodels that you have heard.

I guess that we can be thankful that there has been an abundance of loons here. Most states do not have any loons at all. And they are the poorer for the lack of this beautiful bird with its unique haunting calls.

So today we once again wait for an egg. The next egg.

You now know the signs to watch for to know that an egg laying is imminent.

Will it be today?

Once again, we can only watch and wait. We are merely spectators in this great drama.

The loons are the actors. The loons are the ones on stage. The loons are the stars.

Comments or Questions?

LoonCam(at)yahoo(dot)com

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