Friday, May 9, 2013 8:12pm CDT

 

[I am not sure why this message did not post last night.  So let's try it again.  I also am not sure why the cam has not gone live yet.  We had it working last night and were going to try to go live soon, so some other problem must have developed. I will try to find out and let you know.

You may be interested in checking out an interesting time lapse video. http://www.mnlakecams.com/   The ice was going out of Mille Lacs Lake today, a large lake in Minnesota.  We talked about 'chandeliering' last week.  Here is another example of it.  You may have seen this on the national news as well as the ice partially destroyed a resort.  Once again, there are piles of ice over 30 feet high in some areas (this video does not show the extreme piles of ice).]

 

 

 

59 degrees F     Clear     Wind   Calm
 
Sunrise   5:38am CDT     Sunset   8:30pm CDT
 
 
We are getting close to the LoonCam going LIVE!
 
Maybe even within the next few hours.
 
The good folks from BroadBandMN have been here all afternoon working through a number of technical issues.  Amazingly the camera that has been used for several years, decided to fail without any way to fix it.  It has been one of several technical issues to plague us and to fail this year after having been tested and tested.
  
We can only fix as we go and go on.  Hoping that nothing will fail while the camera is live.
 
But it points up how many things are vulnerable.  And how hard the technicians work together to make everything successfully function so that you are able to see the picture.
 
There is a real possibility that we may be able to 'go live' tomorrow or even within the next few hours!
 
I came up to the house to give you this update.  I am heading back down to the lake to do some more work.  If all goes well, we will try to be online as soon as possible.
 
Just so you know, you have not missed any 'action' yet.
 
The loons have not been up on the nest or even near it.  
 
But they are here.  I just saw them and heard them a few minutes ago.
 
This year brings so many new questions that we have never faced before, mainly because of the late spring and odd weather that we have had this year.
 
As many of you faithful 'old timers' know, I become very paranoid during the weeks before the loons actually nest.  This year brings many of those feelings and even more.  Someone asked me if I thought with their late arrival, the loons had an urgency to lay eggs and already found another place to nest or will not nest at all.
 
It is possible.  But unlikely.
 
That would mean  that over 250,000 loons that nest in Canada would not be able to nest because the lakes from just north of me and throughout Canada are still ice covered.  
 
It is possible that the loons here have already found a nesting area.  That is possible but questionable.  The nesting platform was out in the water less than 48 hours after the ice was completely gone.
 
So many questions.  So few answers.
 
With this unusual weather and late spring this year, it gives us a chance to learn even more.
 
Check back often.
 
Like I said, we may have the camera live in a matter of HOURS!
 
Now I have to get back down and work some more before it gets too dark.
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright  2013      Larry R Backlund

 

 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 9:35am CDT

 

Once again just a very quick update.

The good people from BroadBandMN were here Monday afternoon and evening to set up the camera and computers.

Everything went well except for one piece of equipment that was not working right.  It only takes one out of the many  to shut things down.

They were going to come back with more equipment yesterday afternoon.  But the eagle cam went down and they had to go out and work on that one!  So hopefully they will be here today to finish up the technical work on the Loon Cam.

Just to put your mind somewhat at ease, other than the time we were working on it on Monday, the nest has been in the lake so the loons can see it.  But so far, I have not seen them come to even investigate it although they may have when I have been gone.

I hear them out on the lake occasionally, even making some territorial calls.  So they are still around.  But they have not been coming to the nest so far.  So you have not been missing out on anything.

Just when you think there is nothing more you can learn, nature throws us a curve with the weather we have had this spring.

So we will just have to learn some more.

 

Copyright 2013   Larry R Backlund

Sunday, May 5, 2013 3:20pm CDT

 
 
Just a very quick update for you before I have to leave.
 
Today is the first nice day and break in the weather for sometime. 
 
The good folks from BroadBandMN were unable to come out this weekend but are trying very hard to be out here tomorrow afternoon  or Tuesday afternoon to being out the camera and do all the technical stuff necessary to bring the LoonCam to you.
 
The loons have been around but I have not heard nor seen much of them with the cold, windy rainy weather.
 
The loon nest is in the water.  It is not completely ready to go yet until we get all the camera equipment to mount on it.  Then some of the finishing touches of materials and plants and other stuff can be completed.   But I wanted it to be in the water where the loons can at least see it and know that it is there.
 
This afternoon, I have seen the loons around and for a while they were doing a lot of calling.
 
I think they are as anxious as we are!
 
But at least it is encouraging that they have not moved on to another lake.  But where are they going to go.  All the lakes further north are still ice bound!
 
I will let you know as things progress.  Even after the camera is mounted, it will still probably be a day or two before we will be online with it.
 
I hope that you are having a wonderful day and for those of you in Minnesota, enjoy the weather that we have been waiting for over a month to arrive.
 
 
 
 Copyright 2013     Larry R Backlund

Thursday, May 2, 2013 12:12pm CDT

 
40 degrees F     Cloudy     Wind 15mph N
 
Sunrise   5:59am CDT     Sunset   8:21pm CDT
 
 
We dodged a bullet!
 
The snowstorm that passed through the area stayed to the east of us.  Here our loons saw only snow flurries although they did have to put up with wind and cold.
 
We got no accumulation of snow here.  But in far eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, they got hit hard.  The highest snow total that I have seen reported by one of our tv stations is 17.5 inches and reports of a foot of snow are common in the area of heaviest snow.
 
That is crazy for the second day of May.
 
This is a storm that dropped snow all the way from Oklahoma and Texas to Canada.
 
While we did not get any snow here, I am about ready to go on an "ice IN" watch!
 
There is 'pack ice' more than 100 feet out from shore.  "Pack ice" is ice cover that is made up of pieces/chunks/plates of ice that do not form a solid surface but which completely cover the surface of the water.  Think of what it would look like if you filled your sink with water.  And then poured a big bag of ice cubes into it.  The surface would be completely covered with ice, but it would not be solid.
 
That is what is happening on the lake right now.  A "sink" with 100 feet of ice cubes around the edge.  But only on this side of the 'sink' because of the wind.
 
I am not sure if this is some of the ice leftover from the breakup on Tuesday or if this formed overnight.  It was cold enough overnight that new ice could have formed and broken up.  The pieces do not look like they are from what broke up on Tuesday but they could be.
 
Seagulls and crows and even an osprey are working the edges of the ice pack looking for things that have washed up with the ice or for fish that are hiding at its edges.
 
The question is what all of this does to the nesting and egg laying of loons.
 
And I am sorry that I do not have an answer for you.
 
The loons are still here, swimming out in the lake.  And calling.  But not calling near as much before this latest cold weather settled in.
 
Is there a chance that they might try to find another place to nest before we can get the nesting platform out in the lake for them?  I guess that is a possibility and it is one of my fears.  But there is no way of knowing for sure and I see no obvious indication of it yet.  But the question remains in the back of my mind.
 
We will get the nesting platform out as soon as we can.  That is all we can do.  And then like it has been every other year, from that point on it is up to the loons.  We have done all we can and the are in control of what happens.
 
There is still a forecast for more snow tonight and during the day tomorrow but I have not heard any predictions that have talked about any accumulating snow.
 
By next week, we are supposed to have temperatures back in the 70s which is more the norm for this time of year.
  
Hopefully things will return to 'normal' with May flowers AND loons!
 
 
 
Copyright 2013    Larry R Backlund