Thursday, April 20, 2017 12:13 pm CDT

41 degrees F  Spotty Rain  Gusty Wind

Sunrise  6:19 am CDT   Sunset  8:06 pm CDT

 

Hang in there!

We are oh so close.  

But that counts only in horseshoes.

We were ready to put the nest out earlier this week.  Everything seemed to be working   And everything was ready.

And then on Monday the camera went down!

With the help of the good wizards (Anthony) from Broadband Minnesota, we got the camera up and running again.

Then Tuesday the infrared light (which allows you to see the nest at night) quit working.

Now we were ready to go.  Right?  

Nope.

Then the sound quit working!

As I write this, the good Broadband Minnesota folks are on their way out to Loon Lake to try to fix the sound.  I figured that you would not be happy if the sound was not there.

I tell you this not to make you feel sorry for us.

But just to give you a little glimpse of all the myriad of things that have to work just exactly right in order to bring the LoonCam to you.

And once the nest is in the water, it is 100 times as difficult to troubleshoot and try to make fixes.

Once the loons are on the nest, then there is no opportunity to fix much of anything.

So hang in there.

We are working on it.

And hopefully VERY soon you will have your beloved LoonCam LIVE once again.

 

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund

 

Tuesday, April, 18, 2017 12:12 pm CDT

53 degrees F   Rain  Wind SSW 10 mph

Sunrise   6:22 am CDT   Sunset   8:03 pm CDT

 

There are dark, scudding clouds moving across the sky and it has been raining most of the morning.

It is amazing how things have been greening up so much after the rain of the last few days.

The crocuses bloom is almost done.  And the daffodils have now started blooming.  Forsythia forms a mound of yellow.

Ahhhhhh, the wonder of spring and new life.

We continue to work on getting the nest ready to go in the water.

Yesterday after dealing with a number of technical problems, we got the camera going (not online yet but we were doing all the trouble shooting that is necessary).  But then it stopped working and so we have some more work to do.

It sounds so simple when it finally is up and running.  But simple it is not.  Cameras have to talk to routers who have to talk to servers, who have to talk to other computers, who have to send things out over the internet.  When it all works, it is wonderful.  But there are experts who make it all happen.  So thanks to Anthony for all his brilliant work.

We are getting close.  And hopefully very soon you will be able to watch the new nest as we wait for our beloved loons.

Hang in there.  It is coming.

 

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund

 

Wednesday, March 29, 2017 12:23 am CDT

34 degrees F   Clear   Wind Calm

Sunrise  6:59 am CDT   Sunset  7:38 pm CDT

 

We have a LOON!

Today has been a beautiful sunny blue-sky spring day with temperatures almost up to 70 degrees F!

About 5 pm this afternoon, I got a phone call from my neighbors.  They had just heard from some friends of theirs who were out on the lake in their boat.  And they were calling to report that they had seen a single loon on the other side of the lake!

Minutes later I went back outside and sure enough!  I could hear a loon calling on the other side of the lake.

So there is at least one loon on the lake!  I could not see it but I sure could hear it.

I think it may be only one loon so far.  Why do I say that?  Because all evening there have been numerous calls from the other side of the lake.  They were wails.  Which you already know as "I am here, where are you?" calls.

But there never was an answering call that I heard.  

So I think it is only one loon so far.

But that is nothing to be concerned about at this point.  That is pretty common that one loon would come before some of the others.

But we KNOW now that loons are on the move and at least this one loon has made it this far north!  And undoubtedly many others are already in the midst of their migration north.

When I went outside a few minutes ago, once again I heard the single loon calling.

It was almost hard to hear the call above the din of the noisy seagulls who have arrived in full song.

Also, high overhead in the starlit sky I could hear a flock of swans flying north.  It did not sound like they stopped but continued their flight further north.

Also this afternoon I saw and heard sandhill cranes flying high overheard.

So all of a sudden it seems like everything is on the move!

What a wonderful and miraculous time of year!

 

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund

 

 

Tuesday, March 27, 2017 12:27 am CDT

32 degrees F   Partly Cloudy   Wind Calm

Sunrise  7:00 am CDT    Sunset  7:36 pm CDT

 

The ice is finally going out of the lake.

This last Saturday, March 25 is probably the "official ice out date".

This is the second ice out date since the ice went out on March 8th but then refroze.  It has been a strange spring to have this happen, especially the way it happened.

In the spring, the ice usually melts around the edges of the lake long before the ice goes out.  This year, the ice went out because of high winds but the lake remained frozen up to the edges.

Even with the ice going out of the lake on Saturday, it has still been right up to shore here on the loon's side of the lake.

So there is nothing I can do about putting the nest in the water yet.

But it was 61 degrees today and that remaining ice was turning to mush and the slight wind or wave action will take it out very soon.

I keep watching but so far I have not seen any loons.

There are thousands of raucus seagulls on the lake for the last week as they migrate north.  Even now in the middle of the night the sound is almost deafening from the seagulls.

There also have been a couple dozen mergansers and other waterfowl moving through on their journey north.  Even a couple pair of beautiful swans.

But right now, all we can do is wait.

Mother Nature works on her own schedule.

And we have no control over it.

But hopefully soon we will start seeing loons!

 

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund