Friday, May 29, 2015 7:15 am CDT

Guest User May 29, 2015

64 degrees F Partly Cloudy Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:30 am CDT Sunset 8:51 pm CDT

The clock continues to tick.

We are one more day closer to the hoped for hatch of our little loon chicks.

Oh, to be able to look inside those eggs and know what is going on. And to truly understand the wonder of what is going on.

If we are to have a successful hatch, it should occur in the next few days.

If it goes much beyond Tuesday of next week, then there would be cause for concern. But for now we look forward with great anticipation to seeing two new healthy and cute little loon chicks on the nest.

I realized that we have not talked yet this year about why it is so difficult for the loon to walk on dry ground.

So for you veterans of the LoonCam, this will be review time.

But for those of you who are new to the LoonCam, especially so many school classes that have been watching, this will be a fun little game that we will play to better understand our loons.

A few weeks ago someone said 'It looks like the loon is injured' when they saw the loon clumsily and with some difficulty get up on the nest.

What they were seeing is that the loon was built for the water, not for getting around on land. In fact, a loon is so poorly adapted to being on land, if they were on dry ground far from water they would die. For they could not take off and fly. The only way they would survive is if someone rescued them.

A loon finds it difficult if not almost impossible to get around on dry land.

Let's take a look at why this is.

Do this exercise with me.

Pretend that you are a chicken!

Stretch out your arm in front of you. Go ahead. If anybody is around watching you, they won't think you are crazy. Or should I say "loony"!?

Now let's pretend your arm and hand are the leg and foot of a chicken.

Your hand is the chicken's foot. Spread your fingers and wiggle them. Your forearm is the chicken's lower leg. And your upper arm and biceps are the chicken's drumstick.

Now move your arms like you were a chicken walking around.

It is pretty easy to do, isn't it? You can see how a chicken would walk. You can move your 'foot' foward and back. Even from side to side. If need be, you could probably even run.

That is how a chicken is built and how it gets around.

Now let's look at the difference between a chicken and a loon. And see why it is so difficult for a loon to walk on land.

Do the same thing with your arms.

Your hand is the loon's webbed foot. Your forearm is the loon's lower leg, where you see the colored bands that we use to identify the male from the female And your upper arm once again is the loon's drumstick.

But this time pretend that you have a piece of cloth or a big rubber band wrapped around your upper arm and your body. That cloth or rubber band holds your arm tightly against the side of your body so that you are no longer able to move it freely.

Now try to "walk" like you did a little bit ago when you pretended that you were a chicken walking. Don't let your upper arm or drumstick move away from your body at all. Hold it tightly against your side.

It is a totally different feel, isn't it?

Where it was easy for you to walk when you were a chicken, now it is VERY difficult to walk. All because you are holding your upper arm or drumstick against your body.

That is exactly what a loon is faced with.

For, you see, the loon's drumstick is totally encased in body skin. It is held tightly up against the loon's body by that skin. Only the lower part of the leg is able to move around freely.

And that lower leg comes out of the loon's skin way near the back of its body.

So now you know why a loon has such difficulty walking on dry land. Remember that each time you watch the loon get up on the nest and try to make its way to the eggs. It is only able to move the lower part of its leg and its foot. It cannot move the drumstick at all.

It makes them very powerful swimmers. But they could never be a marathon runner!

Today keep a close watch for any signs that we may be getting close to a hatch.

I don't expect it to happen today. But it probably will happen in the next few days.

The excitement builds as we approach the climax of the arrival of our little look chicks!

Thursday, May 28, 2015 5:21 am CDT

Guest User May 28, 2015

53 degrees F Partly Cloudy Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:31 am CDT Sunset 8:50 pm CDT

After a long night on the nest, the male loon sits looking around his kingdom.

The lake is like a sheet of glass on a cool morning.

The sun will be up in a few minutes. But the loon is already up and watching.

One has to wonder if he can sense what is going on inside the eggs. Is there any sound? Is there any movement?

We are now within a few days of probable hatching of the eggs.

Here are a few things to watch for. Signs that hatching may be imminent.

The loon may look like it is 'sitting lighter' on the eggs. It is hard to explain what that means. But you will probably recognize it if you see it.

But the surest sign is "twitching".

The loon will literally jump or make a quick movement as the chick tries to make its way out of the egg.

The chick has a sharp protrusion on the end of its beak that is called an "egg tooth". The entire purpose of the egg tooth is to give the chick a tooth to break out of the egg. It will go around the inside of the egg and cut through the egg shell.

It is this action by the chick that the loon on the nest is feeling as it 'jumps' or twitches.

When you see that, you can be quit sure that there is a newborn chick hatching under our loon.

This can go on for quite some time. It is a lot of work for a chick to break through that thick shell. He will work on it for awhile. And then take a rest as he is completely exhausted. And then start working again on breaking through that shell. All during this time you may see the adult loon 'twitching'. And then relaxing. And then 'twitching' again.

They are all hopeful signs that we may see a chick soon.

Even after the chick has broken free from the egg, there may be a period of quiet as the chick lays under the adult recovering. Totally worn out from the effort.

But then as he recovers from that effort, the non-stop action begins.

You will see the loon move. Lifting a wing. Looking around as if to say 'what is under there'?

And then you will get your first glimpse.

A glimpse of a new black downy loon chick that makes you give a reflexive,"AWWWWWWW!"

The cutest little chick imaginable. Full of life. Full of energy. A perpetual energy machine.

The chick will by now be completely dry and downy.

It will peek out from under a wing. Looking around at the new big world that it has never seen before.

And then it will finally crawl out from under that wing. And all bets are off.

It will climb up and over and on the parent. It will peck at the adult and 'peep'. It will go non-stop. Until it has worn itself out and just has to stop and rest for a few minutes. But then it is up and going again.

Waiting for the other egg to hatch.

The second egg will usually hatch within a day of the first egg hatching.

Sometimes the first chick stays on the nest until the second egg hatches.

Other times he will jump into the water even before the second egg hatches. He is ready to swim from the very first few hours of life.

But for our own peace of mind, we like to see the chick stay on the nest as long as possible.

The lake is a big and scary place for a tiny little loon chick. There are big fish and turtles that like little loon chicks. But they like them in the wrong way. There are birds in the sky on the watch for little loon chicks.

But however long it is before that chick jumps in the lake, it is never long enough for our way of thinking. We want to hang onto them. We want to watch them. We want to go "Awwwwww"!

But loon chicks are meant for the water, not the nest.

And so normally they will leave the nest within 24 hours.

From that time on to be birds of the water.

So prepare yourself for one of the best shows possible as our chicks hatch. And watch every minute closely. And enjoy every minute. Be prepared to have your heart stolen. To say "Awwwww" over and over and over.

Because all too soon they are gone.

But that is the way nature intended it .

That is what it means to be a loon.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 6:53 am CDT

Guest User May 27, 2015

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!

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 5:44 pm CDT

Guest User May 26, 2015

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

Sunday, May 24, 2015 5:34 am CDT

Guest User May 24, 2015

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!

Minnesota Bound

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