Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:32am CDT

Travis Frank May 24, 2012

62 degrees F Raining Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:33am Sunset 8:46pm

A steady rain continues on a gray morning.

Some areas of the state are reporting amounts of 4 to 6 inches of rain with more to come. The forecast is for rain to continue for most of today. They are saying that some areas may end up with an unbelievable 10 inches of rain out of this storm!

That amount of rain could raise the levels of some lakes enough that it may flood some nests of loons or other nesting waterfowl.

But for our loons, flooding the nest is not a problem - unless we run out of anchor rope on the floating platform.

Today is the two week mark for the laying of the second egg. So we are officially at the half-way mark to expected hatching.

You probably have watched the loons carefully position the eggs near the back of their body as they adjust them when they get on the nest.

Many birds have what is called a 'brood patch'.

The brood patch is an area of bare skin on the breast or stomach of a bird. This bare skin allows the bird to more efficiently tranfer their body heat to the eggs. Some birds like the eider duck are known to pull out the feathers and eider down to line their nest.

But loons do not develop a brood patch to incubate the eggs.

Instead they have an area between their legs near the back of their body that is highly enriched with blood vessels. The increased blood flow in this area allows the loon to transfer its body heat to the incubate the eggs and help them develop.

Another thing that makes loons different than most birds are their bones.

Most birds have hollow bones which cuts down on their weight. This is important in allowing the birds to become airborne easier and to fly with less effort.

However, in a loon the bones are almost solid.

This explains why a loon needs such a long 'runway' to take off from the lake - up to a quarter mile of open water.

While it makes it harder for the loon to take off and fly, it makes it easier for them to dive for fish.

Loons have been documented to consistently dive to depths of over 200 feet! And not having hollow bones helps them to do that.

Yet one more of the amazing things about our loons.

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

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 2:17pm CDT

Travis Frank May 23, 2012

A few minutes ago, there was yet another confrontation between 'our pair' of loons.

Things had been calm for sometime with one loon on the nest and the other loon swimming just out beyond the buoys.

Then I heard 'flying tremolos' from a loon flying around the lake.

The male, who was swimming out beyond the buoys started yodeling, telling anyone who was within earshot that this territory was taken.

The loon on the nest gave a short tremolo and then left the nest and swam out to him.

A loon came flying in over the lake and landed most of the way across the very calm lake. A beautiful huge white swan is also swimming across the lake.

The two loons swam together looking towards where the third loon had landed. All was peaceful.

Suddenly there was a huge splash and both loons rose up out of the water with wings spread, facing each other.

They both dove.

One surfaced some distance away and immediately started rowing across the surface of the water all the while calling. She settled down, peered under the water and immediately started rowing and calling. The other loon surfaced nearby. Only his head out of the water. Again and again. The loon fled.

Finally everyone settled down and one of the loons returned to the nest while the other one swam further out in the lake.

The questions continue!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:35am CDT

Travis Frank May 23, 2012

66 degrees Cloudy Wind 4mph S

Sunrise 5:34am Sunset 8:45pm

It has been a quiet night for the loons.

But today and tomorrow, rain returns with potentially heavy thunderstorms tonight and flash flood watches later today.

Rain is okay. But hail and wind are not needed. They already had to sit through repeated storms of small hail over the weekend. But the loon never flinched nor moved off the eggs.

Rain doesn't normally bother the loons. Unless it raises the water level in the lake too high. On this floating nest that is not an issue [unless the rise in level is so great that we run out of anchor rope length]. If the water rises, the floating nest rises along with it. That is one of many advantages of this kind of a nest.

The lake has already risen about 8 to 10 inches over the last several weeks. With the predicted heavy rain it could easily rise another couple inches tonight and tomorrow.

Rising water levels are a concern for 'natural' nests. There are many, many instances of natural nests just washed completely away when the water rises too high or too fast. So for many natural nests, heavy rain in addition to what has been a very wet month of May is a concern.

I am anxious to check out the natural nest of another nest that has been reported on this lake to see how it is faring in the higher water.

So today rain is ok.

Too much rain or hail or heavy storms are not welcome.

The last couple days has been a much quieter one in the territorial battles for the loons as well. And the perceived 'conflict' between our loons had also quieted down. Until last night.

There had been several uneventful, even normal, nest exchanges throughout the day.

About 8pm, the mate had been quietly swimming in the area for almost an hour. At 8:30pm, the loon on the nest went out to meet the mate and they swam peacefully together - for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Then there were yodels. And tremolos. And a chase.

But it was short lived and within a few minutes one of the loons returned to the nest and settled on the eggs.

But this seeming conflict among a nesting pair of loons is something that I have never seen before. Nor have I seen it described in the literature.

Does it happen in nature? Obviously yes. It is happening with this pair.

Does it happen often? That is a question that is impossible to answer since probably 99% of loons nesting takes place out of the view of humans. So we can only observe and learn from what we see. But the bigger questions may forever be unanswered.

This weekend in the northern states of America brings the first heavy human pressure on loons as Americans observe Memorial Day - the first big holiday of the summer. And people in 'lake country' head to their beloved lakes by the millions. Boaters and waterskiers and jet skis and fishermen will abound if the weather is nice.

Here at this loon nest that increased human activity will come near the end of their nesting cycle. In areas further north and in New England, it will come at the beginning of the nesting cycle for the majority of loons who nest up to a month or more later than the loons you are watching.

If you will be on the lakes or know someone who will be, encourage them to be on the lookout for nesting loons or especially loons with chicks that may have already hatched in some areas.

I usually tell people that if you stay 300 feet away from a nest, the loons will be fine and you will place very little stress on them. But if you come closer, you may actually scare them off the nest. Even that is not enough to do damage.

But what does the damage is if you scare them off the nest and then a little later someone else scares them off the nest. And then someone else. And then someone else. And then someone else. The effect is cumulative.

You will think 'we didn't bother them because they got right back up on the nest'.

But if they get scared off too many times by too many people, they may just abandon the nest. Or the more they are off the nest, the more vulnerable the eggs are to predators.

So if you are going to be on the lake, play nice and share it with the loons. Bring your binoculars with and enjoy them from a distance.

If you are a fisherman, consider replacing your lead tackle and sinkers with non-lead alternatives. One lost lead sinker picked up off the bottom of the lake by a loon is enough to kill the loon. I have not replaced all of my fishing tackle with non-lead alternatives yet either. But it is something that I am aware of and working on. Several states have campaigns called "Get The Lead Out" to protect our beloved loons and eagles who are at the top of the food chain.

So remind your fishermen friends of that. Don't nag. Just a gentle reminder is enough. And think about replacing some of your own lead fishing tackle.

That way we can help ensure that we will hear the 'call of the north woods' for generations to come. Our beloved loons.

Now is also the time to tell your family and friends and facebook friends to watch the LoonCam. We only have a couple more weeks before the chicks should hatch and that time will go so very fast. And unlike eagles, once the chicks are born the time we see them is so brief and fleeting and so special.

The chicks will leave the nest within about 24 hours of their hatching. And then they will be birds of the water that seldom if ever return to the nest.

They grace us with their presence for just a blink of the eye.

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

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 5:42am CDT

Travis Frank May 22, 2012

56 degrees F Partly Cloudy Wind 3mph S

Sunrise 5:35am Sunset 8:44pm

It is a quiet morning for the loons.

As the sun is coming up, right now there are no eagles, no intruder loons and no wind and waves for them to deal with.

The forecast for today is for a high of about 80 degrees and blue sky. But the wind could pick up and affect the loons on the nest later this afternoon.

Some people have commented and worried about the nest and the amount of material that has washed off during the wind and waves this year.

There is more that has washed away than what I would like to see. And the loons have been very active this year in doing a lot of adjusting the landscape. They have even removed some of the 'structural' material of cattail 'sticks' from the front edge of the nest. And as many of you watched them do it, they dug out and uprooted a whole big clump of iris on the left and pulled it up toward the nest bowl and they completely got rid of one other small clump of daylilies on the right side of the nest.

All of this "landscaping" has in turn has allowed some of the other material to wash away.

But so far there is no reason to worry about the safety of the nest.

It is, however, something to keep an eye on. If the erosion would get worse, we would be faced with a very difficult decision of whether to step in or to interfere. Or even if anything could be done that would help. But at this point, I am not too worried about the safety of the nest unless we get some very strong storms.

On the front and back sides, you can see the platform itself which forms the base that the nesting material and the nest itself rest on.

It is sometimes difficult to get a true perspective on the cam. Or to realize how big loons really are.

As you look at the nest on the camera, keep in mind that from the front edge of the nest to the back edge is a little over 5 feet. And the same distance from the left hand side to the right hand side. So that might give you a little better feel for how large it really is.

One of the other things that does not show up well on the webcam is the thickness of the nesting material. The loons have built up a fairly good mound of material that forms the nest bowl....even if they have had to rob other parts of the nesting platform for material.

Loons are not elaborate nest builders. They will use whatever is available nearby. So they will not bring material on to this nesting platform. They will just use whatever is here.

They do the same wherever they nest. Sometimes a loon nest consists only of a small depression in the sand along the shore if they cannot find anything better.

One nest I saw in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area many years ago was a small concave area of a rock out in the middle of the lake with only the smallest amount of moss growing on it. Nothing else. Just rock.

So this nest is quite lush compared to many loon nests.

You are starting to see the growth of some small green plants around the nest bowl. These are weeds that sprout naturally out of the material on the platform. There is no 'dirt' on the nest. It is all weeds and other material that naturally washes up on a lakeshore. Think of it as compost out of your compost pile - vegetation in varying degrees of decomposition.

The heavy rain over the weekend thoroughly soaked the material on the nest, which had gotten very dry, and so I would expect that you will really see growth of that greenery over the next few days. The roots from those weeds will help to stabilize some of the material as well and help to hold it in place. And it will give the loons something to peck at and pull at rather than the now defunct pansies.

If we can make it through the next couple weeks, we are home free. Once the eggs hatch, the new little loon chicks will leave the nest within about 24 hours. And then they will be at home in their 'true home' - the water.

Yesterday was a fairly quiet day for the loons especially with everything else that has happened this year. No eagles dive bombing the nest or the loons. No major territorial battles. No wind, rain or hail. Just a very nice, calm 'Minnesota Day'.

Let's hope the same for our loons today.

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

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

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