Larry's Loon Blog
Larry Backlund brings decades of loon watching experience to his daily Loon Blog. With a view overlooking his nesting platform, he gives a rare look into the life of a nesting loon, with words that can only be described from a man that loves the birds as much as he does.
39 degrees F Clear Wind Calm
Sunrise 5:56 am CDT Sunset 8:24 pm CDT
WE HAVE AN EGG!
According to some of our faithful watchers (thank you Pam and Lee), the egg was laid about 2:30 this morning.
But then the female left and the egg has been uncovered ever since.
The loons are on their way back in right now.
To Be Continued
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund
46 degrees F Clear Wind Calm
Sunrise 5:56 am CDT Sunset 8:23 pm CDT
It looked ever so close last night!
The loons were up on the nest 6 times within about a 45 minute period. The female loon especially seemed to be much more intent on nest building. That is something that was new for her this year. Most of the nest building has been done by the male.
It really looked like we were on the verge of an egg being laid last night.
But alas, it was only a false alarm.
Last year the first egg was laid at 5:17 am CDT. I am not sure when the second egg was laid last year since that was during the time the LoonCam was down for a couple days when we got hit by lightning!
We are now at full moon. And the moon has been bright enough to fool the infrared sensor on the camera that it is getting close to dawn. And the camera could not make up its mind for most of the night whether it should be on night vision or day vision. And it kept clicking back and forth between the two.
That should stop happening if it is a cloudy night or as the full moon starts waning.
The loons are hanging out just out from the buoys right now as I write this. All of this is a very encouraging sign that we are close to the first egg.
But it has been unusual this year to see all of the continued activity but no egg so far. As always, when you think you have things figured out, the loons show you how little you really know. And how predicting is futile.
So once again today we wait like anxious expectant parents. Watching our loons. Hoping. Trying to keep our highs and lows on a more even keel.
"When" it happens, I expect to see the female on the nest with 'more urgency'. She will probably position herself up along the edge of the bowl. She will obviously show some signs of straining as she tries to push that egg out.
She may even spread her wings to steady herself and give herself some leverage.
Any mother probably can fully identify with what she is going through. Even the false signs that we have seen so far.
Is today the big day for the first egg?
Who knows?
It isn't our show. It is the loons.
We are mere spectators in the audience. Ready to cheer when the main part of the play happens.
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund
79 degrees F Mostly Sunny Wind Calm but variable
Sunrise 5:57 am CDT Sunset 8:22 pm CDT
Hallelujah!!
The LoonCam is back up and running thanks to the good folks at Broadband working on Sunday to get it back on for you.
I haven't talked with them yet to find out what happened. I will wait until their 'normal' workweek.
When even one of their chief techies was not able to find the cause as he talked me through trying a number of things, I have to admit that I was concerned that something more serious had happened. But obviously all the equipment is still working and they were able to resolve the problem remotely.
But it is a real reminder of how many things must work together absolutely perfectly in order to bring you the sights and sounds of the LoonCam to you.
We have been blessed this year with few technical problems.
The other thing that I worried about is the very same thing you were worrying about.
With us not able to see anything, were the loons going to lay their eggs while we were 'blind'?
I was torn betwixt and between. I wanted the loons to lay their eggs as soon as possible and get down to business. But I did not want it to happen during the time you were not able to see.
I had the advantage of being able to look out at the nest with binoculars. But even that was a real reminder of how much more I can see on the camera and how dependent on it I have become as well as you. All of a sudden I was back 10 years ago where the only thing I could see was what I saw through the binoculars.
And compared to the LoonCam, that leaves a lot to be desired.
But that is exactly what loon researchers have had to do for all these years until the advent of the LoonCam, which by the way was one of the very first wildlife cams, especially with full motion, sound and night vision.
The LoonCam has added so much to our knowledge and understanding of loons.
Now we are back LIVE and we are happy campers!
There is a slight chance of rain this afternoon and even the possibility of thunderstorms.
Let's hope we get rain, which we need. But we do not need severe weather. But whatever it is, you will be able to see and hear it!
Enjoy!
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund
80 degrees Clear and Sunny Wind 4 mph S
I am so sorry that the LoonCam is down and I apologize.
I have been gone most of the day. When I came home from a family funeral, I was surprised to find that the LoonCam was down.
I tried several things from here that have worked in the past to restart it but none of them worked. Apparently for some reason UStream is not able to contact the cam.
I put in several calls for experts to help. When I got a call back from our chief technical guru from Broadband, he walked me through a number of different things to try to reconnect. None of them worked.
He is out of town and he said that he could not get into the system from where he was. And he will not be home until about 3 am tomorrow morning. So he said that he would work on it as soon as he could tomorrow morning.
I apologize.
When you think you have seen everything, something completely new crops up. This year has been relatively free of any technical problems.
But then this problem surfaces just when the loons seem to be getting more active.
Just know that we will try to get it back up as soon as possible.
It is an absolutely stunning early May spring day in Minnesota.
The temperature is about 80 degrees, a light breeze and lots of sunshine.
About 5:15 pm one of our loons came in and got on the nest.
It was a big reminder to me of how wonderful the LoonCam is. I was once again reduced to watching through binoculars, just like I had always done almost 10 years ago. I couldn't tell which loon was on the nest. I could not see them close up.
s/he stayed on the nest for about 15 minutes moving nest material the whole time.
There was a young fisherman with his young son who were fishing outside the buoys.
They were closer than I would have liked and moving slower than I would have liked. But they were well outside the buoys and respectful. I could see him point to the nest as he talked to his young son.
It did not bother the loon at all, who just kept moving material around.
The other loon positioned itself about halfway between the fishing boat and the nest and just followed along until they were gone. That loon did not seem overly concerned either.
After spending about 15 minutes on the nest, the loon got back into the water and they swam off without the mate attempting to get up on the nest.
So as of right now, it does not appear that you are missing any important action.
And I cannot believe they have laid an egg or they would not have left the nest.
Hopefully they will be able to figure out what is wrong somewhere along the long line of technical things that must work perfectly and the camera will be back up and you will be able to watch our loons in all their glory!
Once again, I am so sorry and apologize for the technical problems.
Stay tuned.
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund
42 degrees F Clear Calm
Sunrise 5:59 am CDT Sunset 8:21 pm CDT
It is a perfectly still morning.
The lake is like a sheet of glass. A slight haze hangs in the air over the lake.
Geese are honking and other birds are calling in the still morning air.
The loons are floating together not too far out in the lake from the nest.
All is peaceful.
Yesterday we were reminded of how quickly things can change into the most shocking and unexpected events. Out of the blue.
All without any warning.
Most of the day yesterday had been a fairly routine and uneventful day.
Warm temperatures. Gentle breezes. A little bit of light rain. Some sunshine. Just a nice spring day in Minnesota on "Loon Lake".
It had been an encouraging day as the loons spent time on the nest more often and for longer periods of time.
There was continuing and even increasing nest building activity. Especially by the male. But also some by the female.
They mated on the nest 4 more times today. We are up to 21 times by my count.
I think this is the most I have ever seen. They mated for the first time all the way back on April 12th, almost 3 weeks ago.
The male has done by far the majority of the nest building activity. He has dug the nest bowl deep and placed it almost exactly in the center of the nest. He has pulled material in from around him and placed it along his sides and built up the nest.
The female has numerous times come on the nest and humorously (sort of) undone most of the work that the male has done. She has sat in a different spot each time over closer to the edge of the platform. And she has pulled material that the male has built up until there is hardly a discernable nest bowl left.
And then he comes back and rebuilds it all over again.
I have laughed as I have imagined the conversation between them.
"Why did you undo everything I had done?
I didn't like where you had the couch.
Well, where do you want me to put the couch?
Don't ask me.
Well, how should I know if you don't tell me?
Well, if you don't know what I want by now - well, that is just typical.
How can I know if you don't tell me? ................"
lol
About 4:30 this afternoon, they had been on the nest once again and mated.
The female stayed on the nest for some minutes, mewing and moving nesting material around. The male swam around the sides of the nest.
After some minutes, the female went to leave the nest and almost fell off/rolled off into the water right by the male.
They turned and faced each other bill to bill.
Suddenly one of them attacked the other and there was a full blown face off with splashing and diving and penguin dance and yodeling by the male.
It happened so fast I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I thought to myself we sure don't need this!
I was stunned.
Not only did I watch some of it online, I went to watch it "live" out on the lake.
I have seen something like this only two other times, where the pair actually fought each other even if ever so briefly. One of those times may have been with this same male.
I laughed (through my concern) and wondered if he had finally had enough and said "I am NOT moving any more furniture!"
Fortunately several of our faithful viewers caught it on video.
I have played those videos over and over trying to see what actually happened and what triggered it. It looks like the male was the one who started the fight. But even that is hard to tell definitively. And I have no idea what actually triggered it.
But peace seems to have returned.
And this morning the pair peacefully floats together out on the lake.
Once again we are so privileged to observe behaviors that we would never be able to see in any other way.
With the increased visits to the nest over the last few days and with the increased nest building activity, I think we must be getting very close to the first egg being laid.
But once again, we cannot control any of it.
We can only be observers and bystanders.
What will today bring.
We can never predict it?
So we all watch and learn together!
Copyright 2015 Larry R Backlund
