Monday, May 21, 2012 6:51am CDT

Travis Frank May 21, 2012

46 degrees Clear Calm

Sunrise 5:36am Sunset 8:43pm

Today promises to be a much quieter day for the loons than they have had the last couple days with the wind and rain and even hail.

Little wisps of fog rise off the water in the cool morning air and quickly scurry away in the bright morning sun.

Tonight marks the two-week milestone since the first egg was laid.

Two weeks down, two weeks to go.

Or maybe a little less. One can only imagine what is going on inside that egg. The very miracle of life itself. So much out of nothing. When you really stop and think about it, the wonder of what happens inside that egg is almost overwhelming. Beyond explanation. So far beyond what we are ourselves are able to do.

The normal expected date for hatching of the first egg would be about June 4th. But I would expect that it may be a day or two earlier than that if they are going to hatch. And I would not start worrying about hatching unless they still have not hatched by June 10th. The only reason that would give me much concern about hatching is the amount of time the loons have been off the nest in their territorial battles.

But that is too much to think about and worry about on a beautiful day like today.

Today we look forward to the hatching of two eggs in a couple eggs.

The contrast in the weather between today and the last couple days is spectacular.

Gone are the wind and rain and hail and thunderstorms. Replaced by bright sunshine and blue skies and a lake like a mirror. The high temperature today is forecast to be a perfect 76 degrees with clear skies and little wind all day long. The loons deserve the break after getting pounded with hail.

Yesterday afternoon about 4:30pm, an eagle drew the loon off the nest and then dove directly on both loons as they swam just beyond the buoys. Both loons dove and the eagle flew off to continue looking for fish. After several swoops into the water, it looked like the eagle was able to grab a fish and flew off to wherever it has its nest.

It only took the loon a couple minutes to come back to the nest and cover the eggs.

Loons will often leave the nest if an eagle is near. I don't think it is so much that they fear for their own safety as that they are trying to draw attention away from the eggs. They will quickly leave the nest, swim some distance away and then start to call calls of alarm. It is as if they are purposely trying to draw the eagles attention to themselves and away from the nest and the eggs. Putting themselves at risk in order to remove some of the risk and danger from the eggs.

A few minutes later the loon left the nest again as an eagle was back in the area fishing but this time it did not seem to be interested in our loons. Only fish. And the loon was back on the nest in a few minutes.

Then last night shortly after 8pm we had another incident of territorial conflict.

I heard what I thought were flying tremolos.

When I went to look, I did not see a flying loon but a loon rapidly rowing and flapping across the surface of the lake and calling. It was the first time I realized how the call of a loon that is flapping across the water is so similar to the tremolo of a flying loon. But then I don't think I have ever had the opportunity to hear as many 'chase' tremolos as I have heard this year in the battles for territory.

The loon would quickly row across the surface of the water. When it would stop, another loon would surface right next to it and it would rapidly take off once again. Calling all the time. All of this to be repeated several times. At least until it was far enough away for the chasing loon to decide that it was far enough.

The commotion was enough for the loon on the nest to leave and swim out to the chasing loon.

The two of them swam and watched to make sure the other loon did not return. Both of them with heads held high and looking in the direction of the loon who was now well away from the area.

But after a few minutes, I heard a loud splash and looked in time to see both loons that I thought were 'our loons' in full confrontation. Complete with penguin dance and yodels from one of the loons..

And then one of the loons took off rowing rapidly across the surface with the other loon in pursuit under water.

I once again stood amazed.

It looked as if this was a confrontation between our own pair!

I still do not want to believe it and I continue to look for any other explanation. But I do not have any easy alternative explanation.

After a total of 11 minutes off the nest, the loon returns, turns the eggs and settles down on the nest.

Such unusual behavior this year continues to raise all kinds of questions in my mind.

I have even been thinking crazy thoughts! Since I have trouble distinguishing one loon from another, what if a loon had some kind of 'dyslexia' where IT could not tell one loon from another? What if it could not recognize its own mate? But such thoughts are crazy thoughts. Or are they?

I have no logical explanation for some of the behavior we have seen this year. Nor have I read descriptions of it in some of the scientific literature and studies.

I do know that I have gotten reports from a number of places this year that have seen increased territorial conflicts with loons on their lakes.

So once again today, we can only watch. And observe. And learn.

Learn about these beautiful and mystical birds that stir something so very deep within us.

And marvel at the beauty that we have in our lives.

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

Sunday, May 20, 2012 4:28pm CDT

Travis Frank May 20, 2012

An eagle just drove the loon off the nest and then targeted both loons who were swimming together just out beyond the buoys.

Both loons dove for cover under the water and the eagle flew away.

One more attempt by an eagle on our loons and one more escape by our loons.

For a loon, disaster can strike out of no where with no warning.

Even the smallest 'letting down of your guard' can prove disastrous.

But this one ends well for our loons.

Sunday, May 20, 2012 5:30am CDT

Travis Frank May 20, 2012

57 degrees F Cloudy Wind 3mph NNE

Sunrise 5:37 Sunset 8:42pm

Cooler temperatures have returned with the movement of thunderstorms through the area.

Today's forecast is only for high temperatures in the upper 60s with thunderstorms still moving through the state and then partly cloudy later today.

Last night you saw what a loon must endure as it faithfully sits on its nest and protects its precious eggs.

Torrential downpours of rain. Wind. Lightning. Thunder.

But above all, hail!

Hail pummeled the loon as it spread its body over the eggs. But it never moved. It never flinched. It would have been so much easier for the loon to leave the nest and be in the water where it could dive to get away from the hail. But something deep within told it that it must not let the eggs be exposed to the hail and the elements.

And so it stayed on the nest!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22710208

Tomorrow night will be the two-week mark since the first egg was laid. Two down and two to go. One can only imagine the miracle that is happening right now inside those eggs. The miracle of new life itself.

But we can't rush it.

We must wait. And hopefully in a couple more weeks we will see two new little loon chicks.

But for now the loons have day to day things to worry about.

In the early morning light, the mate swims around the nest. But the loon on the nest appears in no hurry to leave. There have been so many unusual things happening this year on the nest, one can only wonder what today will bring. We can only hope for a quiet day. If not for the loons, just for ourselves. I am not sure if it is harder for the loons or for those of us who watch.

They seem to take it in stride. It is those of us watching that have a hard time trying to understand all that we are seeing.

So we just have to take it for what it is. Understand what we can. Simply watch the rest. And marvel at it all.

Let me diverge to something more mundane. But something which will help you understand loons better.

Several have mentioned about how the loon seems to have difficulty getting up on the nest and moving over onto the eggs.

Some have even wondered if the loon is injured because of the way it moves.

No, this is normal loon movement.

Loons are very powerful swimmers and are so graceful in the water. Loons are also powerful flyers.

But on land they are almost helpless.

In fact many believe that may be the origins of the name "loon". There is a word in Swedish that means clumsy. That word is "lom". And some researchers think this may be the origin of the name 'loon' for this bird that we hold in such awe.

And when you see a loon move on land, you see how truly the description 'clumsy' fits. It may come from a Swedish description. The two pansies that used to be on the nest before they were so unceremoniously uprooted by the loons were meant to be related to that as well. One was a bright yellow. And the other was a blue/purple. The colors of the Swedish flag are yellow and a bright clear blue.

But these loons apparently are not Swedish. Or at least they did not want the pansies where they had been planted.

But back to the clumsiness of loons on land.

I want you to do something with me that will help you understand why loons are so clumsy on land. Stretch out your arm in front of you. Go ahead. No one is looking!

Now stretch out your fingers and move them around.

Pretend that your hand and fingers are the foot of a chicken. And that your arm is the chicken's leg. Your forearm is the lower part of the chickens leg. Your upper arm and biceps are the drumstick of the chicken. Your elbow is the chickens knee.

Go ahead. Move your 'leg' and your 'foot' as if you were a chicken walking. It is easy to do, isn't it? You can move your arms and you can see how a chicken is able to easily walk around.

But now hold your upper arm and biceps closely against your body. Don't let it move. Pretend you have a towel tied around your upper arm that binds it to your body.

Now try to 'walk' like you did before.

It is a totally different feeling, isn't it? It isn't nearly as easy to move, is it? It isn't nearly as easy to 'walk'.

For you see, a loon cannot move its whole leg like a chicken can. The loon's 'drumstick' is totally encased within the skin of its body. And its leg exits the body at the knee joint. The movable part of a loon's leg exits the body at the very back of a loon.

And that is why a loon has such difficulty moving on land.

It is why a loon rarely leaves the water except to build a nest and lay eggs. And it is why the nest is always within just a few feet of the water's edge.

If a loon lands on dry land, he is helpless. He cannot walk. He cannot take off. He will die unless he is helped or rescued. Maybe in one of the upcoming blogs I will share a couple stories about loons being rescued.

But for today, watch to see how a loon moves as it is on the nest. Look to see how a loon's legs are placed so far back on its body. You can especially see it on a clear day when one of the loons swims next to the nest. You can see where the legs are at the very back of the loon's body.

But the same thing that makes loons so clumsy on land, also makes them very powerful swimmers. Swimmers that can outmaneuver even the fastest fish.

This is just one more of the many amazing things about loons that makes them so special.

And now you know why they are so clumsy on land. And you know where they may have gotten the name 'loon'.

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

Saturday, May 19, 2012 6:58am CDT

Travis Frank May 19, 2012

Once again this morning, right after I had finished my blog, there was a whole lot of action.

Seemingly, loons from every direction!

I will spare you a detailed recounting of my notes from this morning.

But suffice it to say that when the loon left the nest shortly before 6am, there were once again confrontations and many interactions. The interactions were mainly between three loons. Interactions between what I think are 'our' pair of loons and the loon that I have come to ignominously call 'Pencil Neck'.

There has been circling. And diving. And splashing. Some calling. And some flapping/rowing 'escapes'.

Take offs and landings.

This morning I have seen no less than 6 loons on the lake. Yes, you read that right .... SIX.

So I guess it is no surprise that there are some conflicts and confrontations.

But I wish in some ways that we could just build a wall around 'our loons' so that they would not see or have to confront other loons. To defend their territory. So that they could just concentrate on one thing ... sitting on eggs and taking care of them. And successfully hatching two eggs and giving us two impossibly cute little loon chicks.

But what we are watching is reality.

This undoubtedly happens on countless lakes across the great north woods of the United States and even moreso on the hundreds of thousands of wilderness lakes in Canada.

And we have the privilege of having a front row seat without ever having to leave the comfort of our homes!

Who could have ever imagined such a thing even a few short years ago.

So rather than concentrating on the 'conflict', we should be grateful that we sit in the front row of the theater as we get an unparalleled view of what nature has to offer us.

So enjoy today's 'act' in this multi-act drama unfolding before your very eyes!

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

Saturday, May 19, 2012 5:39am CDT

Travis Frank May 19, 2012

70 degrees F Clear Wind 3mph S

Sunrise 5:38am Sunset 8:41pm

According to faithful watchers, it has been a very quiet night on the nest and the loon who spent all night there hardly changed position for several hours.

Let's hope that today is a quiet and uneventful day for them.

They deserve a break from what has been constant interaction and confrontation with other loons.

Today is once again going to be very warm - possibly once again up to 90 degrees.

There is a chance of thunderstorms today and tonight and an even higher chance tomorrow.

We need rain badly. The nest itself needs rain. Everything on the nest must be close to being dust. The iris that were pulled out by the roots are still surviving but showing signs of wear and tear and stress. But it looks like it has even tried to send up a flower bud.

I think I can still make out the root ball of the pansy that they loons pulled up by the roots. I was hoping for some rain that might keep it alive. I am not sure there is much chance for it now.

You can see small specks of green around the nest. That is natural weeds that are trying to grow. But trying with great difficulty.

The amazing part of everything though is that we seem to have an abundance of loons, all wanting to use this lake. And maybe even this particular nest. That is the wonderful part. How many places in the country can say that they have an abundance of loons? Maybe even too many?

Most areas wish with everything they have that they could even have one pair of loons to grace their lake and enrich their lives.

And here we are seeing maybe even too many loons - if that is ever possible!

Several people have asked me if we may be seeing the young from previous years coming back to the lake. I think that is a very real possibility.

Like so many other things about loons, hard data is lacking in so many areas. But the commonly accepted wisdom through the years is that the young initially come back to the same lake they were born on. That may be exactly what we are seeing here.

Let me refresh and recap for those who may be new to the LoonCam.

In the fall of the year, the adult loons make their way to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast for the winter. They leave their almost fully grown chicks behind.

The chicks do not leave for another month after the parents have left.

In what to me is one of so many amazing things about loons, when the young loons leave late in the fall, they find their way on their own down to the Gulf of Mexico. Even having never been there before, somehow they find their way! To me it is a miracle. We don't know how they do it.

We think we are so smart with our GPS units the last few years. Loons have had 'onboard' GPS that outdoes anything that we have ever had. And they have had it for thousands of years.

But next spring when the adults make their way back to their northern lake homes, the chicks stay on the Gulf of Mexico.

And they will stay there for the next three years before they come back north for the first time!

With what little firm information we have, it is believed that they then not only come back to the area where they were born but that they come back to the same lake. Yet another miracle. Three years have gone by and yet somehow their GPS brings them back to the same lake that they were born on! What other words fit than 'miracle'.

I am fond of often saying, "God, I don't know how you done it.....but you DONE GOOD!"

The loon migration studies that Kevin Kenow at the USGS is doing, hopefully will add to our knowledge of loons and their migration. http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

We have talked before about the satellite transmitters that have been implanted in a number of loons that can track in real time where the loons are.

But I have not said much about another whole huge part of that project.

In addition to the males that have the satellite transmitters, over a hundred other female loons and chicks have had 'data recorders' attached to their legs.

These data recorders actually record a wealth of data including location, how deep they dive, temperatures and many other things. Those data recorders then must be recovered and the data downloaded. So it is a long term project that hopefully will give us huge amounts of data in the years ahead.

Maybe we will learn more about whether or not the chicks come back to the lake they were born on.

So that is a very long answer to 'could what we are seeing be some of the chicks from previous years on the LoonCam coming back to the lake?'

And I think the answer to that is that it is a very real possibility.

I have thought that for the last several years.

I first started to really believe it when I think we had a change of the pair on the nest about two or three years ago. But it was just a hunch. A feeling that there was a change in behavior from what I had seen before.

And this year especially has confirmed some of those feelings with a lot of behavior that I have not seen before.

But we cannot know for sure. We can only once again watch and wonder and learn.

There are some days that I long for the days of years ago when there was one pair of loons. No conflict. The loons seemed to know what they were doing. They came back. They built a nest. They laid eggs. They hatched chicks. And they raised those chicks to adulthood.

Ahhhhhh, for simpler times.

But we are blessed with an abundance of loons!

And for that we ought to be very thankful.

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

Minnesota Bound

Sharing Stories of the Great Outdoors