Saturday, May 9, 2015 4:26 pm CDT

Guest User May 9, 2015

69 degrees Clear and Sunny Wind 8 mph NE

Sunrise 5:51 am CDT Sunset 8:29 pm CDT

It is a beautiful day here for the Fishing Opener.

Warm sun. Blue skies. And just enough wind to create a 'walleye chop'.

Fortunately for our loons today, it is pretty quiet on the lake. I counted only about a dozen boats a little while ago. Many fishermen tend to go further north or to bigger lakes on the Opener.

Like I mentioned, the Governor's fishing party went to Lake Vermilion this year. Lake Vermilion is not very far from the Canadian border.

Lake Mille Lacs is another very heavily used lake, not only on the Opener but all year. Fishermen have a lot of choices. 10,000 or more!

All of that is good for our loons if there isn't a lot of boat traffic or people wanting to get close to see the loons.

There is an eagle fishing very close by right now though.

And that has concerned the loons.

I watched the eagle circling very close by. The female on the nest lowered her head several times. And the male called from out on the lake.

But this time the eagle was not looking for loons. It had spotted a fish.

It circled and cirlcled. It was a mature eagle with the white head and the white tail gleaming in the bright sunshine.

It lowered its legs and talons several times.

Then when the time was just right, it lowered its talons once again and swooped in for the kill.

He rose up with a fish in his grasp and flew to a nearby tree where he is eating the fish right now. It looked like it might have been a bullhead. He can have all of those that he wants to take.That tree where he is eating is not all that far from the nest and where he caught the fish was even closer.

There are two fishermen in a boat that were VERY close to where the eagle swooped down and caught the fish. I would like to know what they thought or said. Because they had a front row seat to all the action.

I am very surprised that the female loon did not spook and leave the nest. She must be getting more mature and comfortable, which is VERY good.

I have watched a couple of nest exchanges today and she is getting much better at them as well. All of it is hopeful signs that we might have a successful hatch this year.

There is a long way to go yet. We are only into the first few days.

So a lot remains to be written of the 2015 Book of Loons.

But you will see it LIVE as it happens.

What could be better?!

Friday, May 8, 2015 5:36 am CDT

Guest User May 8, 2015

46 degrees F Cloudy Wind 10 mph NW

Sunrise 5:53 am CDT Sunset 8:27 pm CDT

We have our SECOND EGG!

It arrived at 8:18 am CDT yesterday morning.

Thank you for all of you who saw it live and documented the time.

I was gone most of the day so I missed the actual laying. But I was aware of it even though I was not able to post.

I had the privilege of spending a good share of the day at the State Capitol with Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt and spending a good deal of time on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Speaker's father Keith and I were very good friends in high school. I guess that dates me, doesn't it? That the Speaker's FATHER and I are the same age! But it was a privilege, one that I also had when he was sworn in as Speaker back in January.

I talked about the Minnesota Fishing Opener in my post yesterday morning. Governor Dayton and Speaker Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Bakk are all up on Lake Vermilion near Ely right now. This is at the edge of my beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

And hundreds of thousands of other Minnesotans are heading to their favorite lake today. Many of them want to be out on the lake at midnight when the fishing season opens for the year.

With all those boaters and fishermen out on lakes across Minnesota, that poses some special stress on our beloved loons. Let us hope that the fishermen here on our "Loon Lake" will maintain a respectful distance from the nest.

I am sorry that I missed the laying of the second egg this morning. But thank you once again to all of you faithful viewers who did catch it. And I hope that it is one of those special memories forever stored in your mind.

Now we are able to settle in for the long wait for our little loon chicks. There is still a possibility that our female loon may lay a third egg. But that possibility is quite slim. The likelihood is that we will have the two eggs we have now.

In the next couple days I will sit down and try to figure out my best guess of when the eggs might hatch so that you have a date to aim for. It will be just a guess. But that is better than nothing for you.

But let's hope that everything over the next month is very boring on uneventful. And that our loons are able to incubate the eggs without interruption.

That they are able to make the nest exchanges between the female and the male smoothly and quickly.

That we have no eagles or other predators from the air.

I have known that we have three eagles that hunt on the lake, including one immature eagle that spends a lot of time in a neighbors tree not very far from the nest. In fact it was probably this immature eagle that was chasing a mature eagle last week and they flew right in front of my neighbor's windows. I didn't see it but it apparently and understandably was a big surprise to see them fly right in front of the window.

The next morning I found a very large bullhead in my yard. It had a number of very distinct puncture marks in it. In all probability the eagle had dropped it as it was being chased by the other eagle.

A couple days ago someone told me that there a FIVE eagles that hunt and fish on the lake.

Let's hope that we have no raccoons or beavers or mink or muskrats that come up on the nest and disrupt our loons. Well, we can have visitors just to keep US interested and give us something to talk about as long as they don't disturb the loons.

Let's hope that we have no snow or frost or severe storms.

And that people keep a respectful distance from the nest.

Oh so many things to make us worry even more, as if we don't worry about our loons enough already.

So have a wonderful "worryfree" day!

Thursday, May 7, 2015 5:29 am CDT

Guest User May 7, 2015

64 degrees F Cloudy Wind 3 mph NE

Sunrise 5:54 am CDT Sunset 8:26 pm CDT

It just started to rain on a very mild spring morning

Our loon sits on the nest protecting the precious egg.

We have needed the rain so badly. And today thundershowers are predicted off and on for most of the day.

I haven't seen the bands yet but I assume this is still the male on the nest. If so, he has been here on duty since last night.

We are now two days since the first egg was laid.

I would expect the second egg, if there is to be one, will be laid in the next day or two. If it goes much beyond a couple days, I would question whether we will have a second egg. But I have no reason to think that there will not be a second egg.

As I mentioned before, loons usually lay 2 eggs. But sometimes they only lay 1 egg. That was the case with the other pair of loons on this lake. Last year they only laid one egg. And rarely loons will lay 3 eggs.

During the first couple days before the eggs have actually started to develop, it is less dangerous for them to be exposed. However, if it is sunny and hot, the exposed egg can easily overheat. So unless there are extremes of hot or cold, the egg can withstand being left out in the open.

But loons will normally be on the egg most of the time from when the first egg is laid.

This Saturday is what in Minnesota amounts to a huge 'holiday' - Fishing Opener.

Hundreds of thousands of people will head to one of Minnesota's fabled 10,000 lakes (there are actually 15,000 lakes in Minnesota!) for the first day that the major game fish like walleyes can be legally taken.

It is an annual rite of spring.

So if you or your friends and family are going to be out on our lakes, this is a good time to remind them to watch out for loons.

Loons are easily hit and run over by fast moving boats.

Remind them to be especially careful if they see a loon on a nest.

I tell people that if they remain 300 feet away from a loon on the nest there will usually be no undue stress on the loon.

If a loon is sitting with its head held high, there probably will not be a problem. Such a body position indicates that the loon is not unduly concerned or under stress.

However, if the loon goes into "hangover" they are telling you that you are too close to them and they are concerned about you. Hangover is when a loon will lower its head. The lower it is, the more concerned they are.

The most extreme is when the loon actually lays its head down on the nest with its neck outstretched. The loon is signaling that it is very concerned about you being so close. And if you do not leave the area, the loon may actually leave the nest and leave the eggs exposed to the elements or to predators.

Being repeatedly scared off the nest may even cause the loons to abandon their nest.

So if you are near a loon nest and seen the loon go into 'hangover position', quietly back away and leave the area and the loon will soon relax.

Loons are also sensitive to other animals on shore that they see as predators. They are very concerned about raccoons and skunks and mink and cats and. including man's best friend dogs, that they perceive as a threat to them or their eggs.

You will see these behaviors of the loon sitting with its head held high or in hangover position as you watch them here on the LoonCam.

I once watched a canoeist paddle within view of a loon nest. He was well away from the nest, a distance that normally would not have frightened the loon. But he had his dog standing in the front of the canoe.

That was enough to scare the loon off the nest and the loon would not return as long as they were in the area, even though they were fishing a long way from the nest.

So if you are out on the lake, be aware if loons are in the area.

And remind your family and friends to do the same.

And by taking care of our loons and giving them the space they need especially at nesting time, we will be able to enjoy loons and their haunting calls that speak of the great north woods for many years to come.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 5:10 am CDT

Guest User May 6, 2015

54 degrees Cloudy Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:54 am CDT Sunset 8:26 pm CDT

In the first pre-dawn light of morning, our loon sits on the nest, beak tucked under one wing sleeping.

Everything is quiet as can be.

The lake is like a sheet of glass.

Not a whisper of air moving. There is a slight foggy haze hanging in the air giving the morning just the right brooding feel.

The first songs of birds start to welcome the approaching morning but our loon continues to sleep.

It has been a long night on the nest. But the need to protect a precious new egg takes precedence over everything else.

The camera starts to cycle back and forth between night vision and day vision modes as slightly more light begins to appear. But the loon does not hear or notice that either.

The mate swims nearby as the loon on the nest wakes and looks around. S/he starts to mew softly.

It has been just over 24 hours since the egg was laid. This was the first time I have seen an egg laid in the middle of the night like this one was. I am sure it was not the first time for loons. Nor will it be the last.

I remember last year when the first egg was laid at the break of day. Almost exactly this time. But this year's egg is the first time I have seen one in the middle of the night.

And it is the first time I have seen the egg left alone so long after it was laid. It was almost 5 hours before the male loon came back to sit on the egg.

Now for almost the next month, our loons will stay on the egg.

One has to wonder what goes through their minds.

What do they know? Why do they change behavior in almost an instant? From being free to swim and dive and fish. To splash and swim. To sit in the warmth of the sun.

Then when the egg arrives their behavior changes dramatically.

Now there is a bond with the nest that is so strong, they are drawn to the nest and the importance of protecting that egg and keeping it warm.

Over the next few weeks, the egg will seldom be left exposed for very long.

The loons will share nesting duties. It has always been thought that they share about equally. Without the bands, it was always hard to tell which loon was on the nest. The male or female. But now with the bands we can know for sure who is who.

Last year was the first year that this pair nested. They had been together the year before but they did not nest.

The male is the same one that we banded in 2012. But for some unknown reason there was a change of mates after that year. And it is the same male but this female was new in 2013.

Why?

Once again we have more questions than we have answers.

This female seems to be younger and more inexperienced than the previous female. She is much more cautious than the male and will become alarmed over things that do not affect the male at all.

There is not much that will frighten the male off the nest.

But this female will become concerned over seemingly almost anything. And is prone to leave the nest even when there is no obvious reason or danger.

It is so interesting to watch the difference and personality between the two birds.

She has gotten better but she is still very skittish. The first summer she was here, she did not want to even get up on the nest. And they did not lay eggs that summer. It seemed she was immature and unsure of herself.

But then last summer she laid two eggs. With the amount of time she was off the nest last summer, there was some concern if the eggs would hatch. But hatch they did. The male seemed to take responsibility for the majority of the nesting and care of the eggs. And we had two healthy chicks last summer that grew into adult loons.

We were able to band her as well as her two chicks last summer. So now she sports her distinctive green band on her right leg and the red bands on her left leg.

The two chicks are probably still down on the Gulf of Mexico where they will remain for the next two or three years before they come back to Minnesota.

But right now we wait for the second egg.

Deep within the female, that egg ought to be forming even as we watch her on and off the nest.

I would expect that we will see the second egg laid within the next couple days. Usually there are about 2 to 3 days between the laying of the eggs. Sometimes a loon will only lay one egg. Rarely they will lay three eggs. But since she was able to lay two eggs last summer, I would expect that she will once again lay two eggs this year.

The possibility of thunderstorms are predicted for later this afternoon and tomorrow. We badly need the rain. But we don't need any severe weather.

But for now we settle back and watch our loons.

We watch as they faithfully protect this first egg.

And we wait for the arrival of the second egg.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 6:22 pm CDT

Guest User May 5, 2015

69 degrees F Mostly Cloudy Wind 5mph SE

Sunrise 5:56 am CDT Sunset 8:24 pm CDT

The payoff for all your faithful hours and days and weeks of watching has begun.

At least a partial payoff. Hopefully one more egg to come. And then the real payoff - 2 little black downy chicks!

After a number of false alarms over the last couple days, the female decided that she could wait no longer.

I had finally gone to bed about 1 am thinking that nothing else was going to happen.

But at 2:31 am CDT, with most of us sleeping she laid the first egg.

It didn't come easy but come it did.

She pushed and pushed and pushed. And finally POP! There was the egg.

She almost fell on her head in complete exhaustion.

If you missed it, boxers12002 was able to catch it on video! You can find it on YouTube as well as Larry's Loon Lovers on Facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcblvN2GIXo

https://www.facebook.com/reasonsjr.1/videos/o.86153718074/10153183512420873/?type=2&theater

The egg appears at the 7:58 mark on the video.

It is something that VERY few people in the world ever have a chance to see. And until the LoonCam, something that very few loon researchers had ever seen.

Now the countdown begins. The countdown to hatching of our little loons.

For the next month, one of the loons will be on the nest the majority of the time.

A number of people have asked if the egg will be ok because after the female loon laid the egg, she left the nest. The egg was uncovered for about 5 hours before the male loon returned to the nest and began sitting on the egg.

The temperature got down to 39 degrees this morning. So the question is will that hurt the egg?

The egg should be ok.

I have checked with a couple of experts and they agree that since it is this early there should be no problem with the egg being left exposed. So hopefully that helps to put your mind at ease.

Now if it was a couple weeks from now and the egg lay exposed to cold for several hours, that could be a different situation. And that may damage the developing chick in the egg.

But at this stage, the egg should be fine.

As long as it is fertilized (which it should be with all the mating we have observed!), the egg should develop normally.

Now we wait for the second egg.

Loons normally lay two eggs.

Sometimes they will lay only one. And rarely they will lay 3 eggs.

The eggs are large and they require a lot of energy for the loon to produce an egg. So all their energy is devoted to producing two viable eggs.

I would expect the second egg will be laid in the next two days, maybe three.

At that point incubation begins in earnest.

And even though the eggs are laid 2 or 3 days apart, they usually hatch within one day of each other. Another loon miracle that we may talk about at some point.

But right now we have an egg on the nest.

And you are almost guaranteed to see a loon around whenever you look in.

So grab the kids and the cats and grandma!

It is SHOWTIME!

Minnesota Bound

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