Wednesday, May 27, 2015 6:53 am CDT

53 degrees F     Clear and Sunny     Wind Calm

Sunrise   5:31 am  CDT     Sunset  8:49 pm CDT

Already this morning there has been action on the lake.

The sky is clear and blue, the sun is shining and the lake is like a sheet of glass.

But that does not mean it has been "quiet".

Our male left the nest to swim out and with the female confront another single loon, who went half flying, half paddling to get away.  There was also another pair of loons a little further out who were on high alert.  I am not sure if that is the other nesting pair on the lake or yet another pair of loons.

Within 5 minutes of our male leaving the nest, the female came flying/paddling back to the nest.  She got up on the nest, turned the eggs and settled in.  

The eggs were only uncovered for 5 minutes even with all that going on.  They are too precious to lose them now.

There was not a 'violent' confrontation of any of the loons.  Just an 'ushering away' and then a return to the nest.

Even while all of that was going on, there was both a mature eagle and an immature eagle that were fishing on the lake at the same time.

Plus there were five swans that flew over.  I am not sure where they went but they did not seem to land on the lake.

So in addition to all the songbirds, ducks, Canada geese and wading birds, it has already been a busy morning here at "Loon Lake".

Our male loon once again took the long overnight shift of 13 hours and 23 minutes.  But the female has settled into a routine of also taking long shifts of up to 10 hours.  Our loons seem to have developed their own routine and are following it very well.

I was pleased again this morning, as I was down by the lake with binoculars watching to see what the eagles and other loons were doing, that the female seems to finally be comfortable with my presence and has apparently accepted me as not being a threat.

Where in the past she would have been in deep hangover or even left the nest if I had come down anywhere near the lake, this morning she never went into hangover once and sat with her head held high.

That is a very good sign.

Today may be an uncomfortable day for our loon on the nest.  It is supposed to possibly get to 85 degrees with bright sunshine.  So it is going to be hot for our loon having to stay on the nest.

You will probably see the loon take more short breaks today to cool off in the water.

But with the bright sun, they cannot be off the nest for too long.

The hot sun beating down on the dark-shelled egg can pose even more danger to the chicks inside from overheating than being exposed to cool air.  It is always such a balancing act for our loons.

We are  on the final countdown to the hoped for hatch of our little loons.

It could be as early as this weekend, but for sure within the next week.

The big even that we, and the loons, have all been waiting for!

Now it gets good!

Copyright, 2015     Larry R Backlund

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 5:44 pm CDT

56 degrees F   Rain   Wind 5mph NW

Sunrise   5:32 am CDT     Sunset   8:48 pm CDT 

The entire day today has been foggy, rainy and moody.

The perfect kind of day for a waterbird like our loons.

No hot beating sun.  No blackflies.  And few boaters to disturb them.  Although a couple kayakers were very curious.

The forecast for today had been for the rain of the last few days to end and the sun to come out this afternoon.  Instead it seemed the rain intensified.  All due, forecasters tell us, of a low pressure system that refused to move east as forecast and instead went 'retrograde' and backed up right over us.

This has not been a problem at all for our loons.  And this has been a perfect soaking rain that really helps to put a dent in our drought, which might now officially be over.

While we finally look forward to sunshine tomorrow, I am sure the loons would much prefer the weather today and the last few days.  Tomorrow the forecast is for temperatures to reach 85 degrees F.  We will see if it makes it or not.  

If it is sunny and 85 degrees, expect to see a lot of panting by the loon on the nest.  And also possibly more water breaks by the loon to cool off.

It is hard to believe that it is already 3 weeks since the first egg was laid.

We are definitely in the home stretch of the countdown to hatching of our loon chicks.

If we are going to have a successful hatch, I definitely expect the eggs to hatch within the next week.  Or less.

If we go much beyond a week from today, then there would be reason to be concerned about a successful hatch.

The wonders going on inside the egg are truly that - wonders!  By today downy feathers have almost completely covered the little chick's body.

Legs and feet and wings and beak and eyes formed sometime ago.  And the chick's heart has been beating since just after the first few days.

One of many miracles of development is something called 'catchup'.  Even though the eggs were laid over 2 days apart, the chicks will probably hatch within a day of each other.  It has been well documented among many birds, and presumably with our loon chicks as well, the chicks actually 'talk' to each other through the egg shells over the last few days of development before hatching.

So we await that miracle of life happening.

Unlike eagles where we can watch the young eaglets grow for weeks or even months, our loon chicks will normally leave the nest within a day or two.  And from that time on they are what they were created to be - waterbirds.

But for those magical few hours we have the chance to see these wonderful, cute little chicks up close and personal.

An experience that we are so fortunate to have through the magic of the LoonCam

Copyright 2015      Larry R Backlund

Sunday, May 24, 2015 5:34 am CDT

58 degrees F     Cloudy     Wind Calm

Sunrise   5:34 am CDT     Sunset   8:46 pm CDT

On a calm and mostly cloudy morning, the loons have already made their nest exchange.

It actually surprises me how much of a consistent routine they have developed for themselves.  The female taking over in the early morning, staying until mid-afternoon.

And then the male taking over mid-afternoon and staying the rest of the day and all night.  He has just completed 14 hours and 51 minutes again.  

It has pretty much been conventional wisdom that loons shared nesting duty about equally.  With the female taking maybe 60% and the male 40%.   And that is what I think I have seen with previous pairs.

But this couple has turned that on its head with the male easily taking 60 to 70% of the nest time and the female 30 to 40%.

Is that due to her apparent youth and inexperience?  Or to other factors unknown?

In the past I have also seen the loons usually change every few hours.  

This particular pair seems to prefer longer times on the nest and less changes.

Oh, we continue to learn so much about these marvelous birds by being able to observe them in ways we never have before.

I am especially pleased with how much this female seems to have matured and settled into her routine of nesting duties.

She has apparently gotten over much of her previous skittishness when she would go into hangover or even leave the nest at the slightest little thing.  Or nothing at all.

She would even go into hangover if she would see me up by the house, let alone down by the lake.  Whereas the male could care less if I was even along the lakeshore.

In just the last few days, the female has finally seemed to know who I am.  And she no longer goes into that deep hangover, even when I am down by the lake.  It has taken a long time with a lot of gradual conditioning, but she seems to have learned quite well finally, who I am and that I am not a threat.

That bodes well for the future. 

But the calm morning will probably not hold.

Predictions for today and tomorrow are for possibly heavy rains and even some strong storms developing

The forecast is for upwards of 2 inches of rain but that has been changing somewhat in the last 12 hours with the heaviest rains now looking like they will occur over Wisconsin.

But we will still take whatever rain we can get.  It is just too bad that it happens on Memorial Day weekend when everyone wants to picnic and go to the lake.

But that also means less boat traffic and less disturbance for our loons.

We are now down to our last week or so before hatch!

If we are to have a successful hatch, the chicks are now developing rapidly inside the eggs.

The heart has been beating now for 2 1/2 weeks.  Tail feathers have formed.  Eyelids have formed.  The beak opens and closes.  The foot has claws or toenails and scales have formed on the legs.  And the head of the chick is now turning toward the large end of the egg.  The final position for hatching.

All things that are too wonderful to behold.

And all of it in just the space of a few weeks!

Copyright 2015   Larry R Backlund

Friday, May 22, 2015 8:15 pm CDT

66 degrees F     Clear     Wind Calm

Sunrise   5:36 am CDT    Sunset   8:44 pm CDT

Today has been a beautiful, quiet, sunshine-filled day here in Minnesota at "Loon Lake".

In fact maybe a little too nice.

Our loons can definitely cope with cool to even cold weather better than they can with hot weather.

When they are in the water, the water keeps them cool.

But when they have to sit up on the nest, the sun beating down on their dark plumage tends to warm them up.

That is why you see them often sit on the nest with their beaks open.  They are doing exactly what dogs do.  They are panting to help remove excess heat from their bodies.  Or they may go into the water more often  to help cool off.

This is Memorial Day weekend here in the US.  A day to remember all those who have lost their lives in service to their country.  Or just a general time to remember those who are no longer with us.

It is the first of the big weekend holidays of the summer.

That means that there will be a lot of people on lakes all across the state.

That also means possibly increased  disturbances for our loons.  From people who just want to get a closer look at our beloved loons.  Or people getting too close just because they are not paying attention.

It is a good time to remind your friends and family to be on the lookout for loons when they are out on the lakes.  And to stay well away from the nests.  Too many disturbances could cause loons to abandon their nests.

One time probably won't affect them  Nor will two times.  And so most people think they have not had an effect on the loons because they disturbed them for only a couple minutes.

But when you add this boat to that canoe to that fisherman to that waterskiier, each one takes an increasing toll.

So if you stay well back from the nest, you will not disturb them   Bring a pair of binoculars with you and you can observe them without disturbing them.

Or better yet, get the BEST view right here on the LoonCam!

We are expected to get rain on both Sunday and Monday so that will cut down on the boat traffic on the lake.  And cause less stress on our loons.

One of the things that I neglected to mention yesterday when I was talking about the setup of the nesting platform was the "chick ramp".  It is a small floating extension that is located right below the camera.  While chicks normally do not return to the nest after they have left, sometimes the first chick may try to get back up on the nest before the second chick hatches.

This small floating extension is intended to make it easier for him to get back up on the nest.

Yesterday while I was mowing the lawn, I had a very small mayfly land on my arm.  So the mayfly hatch has apparently just started.  I have not seen many of them around yet.  But when the hatch is in full swing, there can be a lot of them.

Here at Loon Lake we do not have excessively large hatches of mayflies.  There are some places that have such large hatches that they have to actually scoop up large piles of mayflies.  And sometimes highways can actually become slippery and hazardous due to large numbers of mayflies on the highway.

But we normally do not have those kinds of problems with mayflies here.

Most of the insects that I am seeing on the LoonCam today are not mayflies.

I do not know my insects well enough to tell you for sure what they are.  But I think they may be a hatch of caddisflies.  Someone here will probably know their insects much better than I do and can identify them.

Neither mayflies nor caddisflies are of any concern to the loons.

It is the blackflies that bother loons more than any other insects.  So far I have not seen large numbers of blackflies on the loons this year.  Which is a good thing.

We are now less than two weeks away from the probable hatching of our expected chicks.

Enjoy the wait.  And the stress.  And the wonderful expectation of watching this true miracle of nature!

Copyright   2015    Larry R Backlund

Thursday, May 21, 2015 5:10 am CDT

38 degrees F     Scattered Clouds   Wind Calm

Sunrise   5:37 am CDT     Sunset   8:43 pm CDT

It is a perfectly still morning.

The eastern sky is painted with pinks and blues and the sun will soon peak over the eastern horizon.  And with it starts a new day.

Our loon is awake on the nest, alert and looking around.  I assume it is our male.  If it is still the male, that means he has been on the nest since 1:27 pm yesterday afternoon.   Once again it is the male who has been taking the overnight shifts.  Very LONG shifts.

Other birds have started their morning songs and calls.

It is still chilly this morning.  But unlike the last two mornings which hit 32 and 33 degrees and struggled to rise during the day, today should be the start of a warming trend.

Late last night when I went outside to check on things, I heard a coyote howling and yipping across the lake.

I have been told for the last couple years that we have numerous coyotes in the area.  But this is the first time I have actually heard one howling.

You can add coyotes to your list of predators that would disturb loons that are nesting on shore.  I don't know if they would specifically target loons or their eggs.  But they seem to be very opportunistic predators so I think there is a probability that they would go after the adult loon or even the eggs.

I have never heard or read any reports of that.  Normally coyotes would not occupy the same area that most loons would be nesting.  But as coyotes become more prevalent, I think we may hear reports of increased conflict.

Several people have asked for more information about the nest and the area where it is located on the lake.

So let me try to give you a little bit of a  bird's eye view - or "loon's eye view" - of the nest.

The nest is located about 150 feet off shore in about 2 to 3 feet of water.  That level varies depending on the year and the time of year

It is anchored at two points to keep it from spinning and twisting in the wind.

One is a permanent 'screw' anchor that is attached to the bottom of the lake.  The other is a rope attached to a cement block.  Both have excess line so that if the water rises, the cement block will move and allow the nesting platform to rise with the rising water.

Some of you will remember a few years ago when we had very heavy rains and the lake came up 17 inches in 24 hours.  We ran out of rope and the nest was in danger of being pulled underwater and destroyed.

I had to go out there and add additional rope to keep the nest from being destroyed.

Going out to the nest is something I try to NEVER do when the loons are around.  Both for their safety as well as mine.

Even though the loons seem to know me and tolerate me, the danger of being stabbed is very real.

They have never tried to stab me in the few times that I have had to go out to the nest through the years.  But they have swam within a few inches of my legs.  Close enough that I could feel them as they swam by.

They easily could have stabbed me.  But I have not seen them try.

The nesting platform itself is built out of a framework of PVC pipe,  Then there is a 'base' of foam that fills the entire center of the platform.  This provides additional flotation and support for the nest itself.

All of that is bound together by plastic mesh and landscape fabric.

On top of all of that, I place cattails and weeds and other material that normally washes up on the shore of the lake.  All things that loons would normally find when they are looking for a place to build their nest.

On the 'back' corners of the nest platform, are willow branches about 4 feet high - behind the camera and also to the corner of the platform to your right. The camera and the infrared light are mounted on top of a very sturdy post attached to one corner of the nest platform.  It is about 3 feet high and that puts your view within 3 to 4 feet of the nest itself.

That is a view that you would never be able to get in the wild.

The willow branches actually grow roots in the water and the leaves begin to open.  Not as well as if they were still on the tree.  But they do grow nonetheless.

Those willow branches are there to try to prevent eagles from swooping down directly on the nest or on the loon who is sitting on the nest.

Around the edges of the platform I have planted a number of different plants.  Their function is to help keep the nesting material from washing away in high waves and wind.  Most of the plants are flowering plants, especially iris.

I chose iris as a tribute to the voyageurs who centuries ago plied our northern lakes along what is now the Canadian border during the fur trading era.

These voyageurs were often of French background and the iris is the fleur- de- lis on the French crest.  The voyageurs would often plant iris to mark some of the portages in canoe country.  To this day you will find iris growing near some portages in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

I have a couple new plants that I am trying as well this year.  But I haven't said what they are .  I am letting you watch them grow and see if you can guess what they are.  Hopefully some of them will bloom before the loons leave the nest.

The plants have really struggled this year.

From it being very dry early in the season, the plants have suffered from the lack of rain.  So they are way behind where they should be.

But in addition to that, the loons seem to love to 'excavate' around the plants this year.  I don't know what their fascination is with trying to take every bit of dirt.  But they have done just that.  They even pulled on plant out by the roots and moved it closer to the nest.  I think they totally destroyed one of the other plants because I cannot see it on the camera any more.

As the plants grow, it also give additional cover to the loons.

But everything I have done is to try to keep the nest as natural as possible.  To keep it close to the type of material and vegetation that loons would normally find when they would build a nest along shore. 

Around the nesting platform are 15 buoys plus a large swimming raft that the neighbors graciously provide.  These buoys are anywhere from 50 to 200 feet away from the nest.  The buoys that you can just barely see on the cam are about 50 feet out from the nest.

All of that is to try to keep boaters and fishermen and canoers and kayakers from coming too close to the nest.

It is a federal and a state crime to purposely disturb nesting loons.

In addition to that, there are a couple buoys and a number of stakes and posts that show where the tv cables lie on the bottom of the lake ... just in case a boat would ignore the other buoys hopefully they would not run over and cut the tv cables.

So there you have an overview of what you can see on the LoonCam as well as a few things you cannot see.

So enjoy the view of our loons today on the LoonCam.

And watch things that you would never be able to see in any other way other than the LoonCam!

We are probably less that two week away from hatching.

If your friends and family have not been watching so far, tell them it is not too late.

The most exciting time is yet to come.

Copyright 2015   Larry R Backlund