Thursday, May 4, 2017 5:27 am CDT

Guest User May 4, 2017

45 degrees F Clear Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:57 am CDT Sunset 8:23 pm CDT

So far everything seems to be advancing right on schedule.

The sun will not be up for another half hour. The wind is calm but there are 'remains' of waves from overnight that are gently rocking the nesting platform.

And the loons have already done a swim around the nest.

They have not gotten up on the nest yet as I write this, but they have looked at the nest to make sure everything is still ok.

This seems to be normal activity for them - to check it at all times of the day and all conditions. That way they can be sure it is a suitable and safe place for them to nest.

They are spending increasing amounts of time at and near the nest.

They have mated a number of times on the nest. They have started to exhibit nest building behavior, which includes digging with their feet in the material on the nest to start to form a bowl for the eggs to be safely contained and to move material with their beaks to also build that bowl.

These are all very good signs that the loons have taken ownership of this nest and that they plan to lay their eggs here.

So what should you watch for?

Watch for the loons to visit the nest with increasing frequency. Watch for them to spend longer times actually on the nest. Watch for them to continue to form the nest bowl by digging with their feet and by moving nesting material with their beaks. They will normally reach out and grab a piece of material an then place it alongside their body. They will repeat this over and over.

At some point, it will look like there is more urgency to this nest building activity.

That is a very good sign that we are getting close to the laying of the first egg.

When the time comes for the actual laying of the egg, you will see the female start to make movements that show something new is going on.

Eventually she will almost prop herself up along the edge of the bowl of the nest with her feet somewhat extended. She will spread her wings slightly to steady herself.

It will take some minutes of this activity. But then all of a sudden with a rapid "pop", the egg will almost shoot into the nest.

At that point she may lay their for a few minutes while she recovers from all the hard exertion.

I remember a few years ago the first time I saw the laying of an egg as it happened. It was one of the few times that anyone has ever seen the actual laying of a loon egg. They build their nests in such hidden areas that few people even see the nest. Let alone the actual laying of an egg.

As far as anyone knows, when we were able to catch it on video, it was the first time anyone had caught the actual laying of a loon egg on video.

This was before we started the LoonCam live webcam. Now it is "old hat" to many of you. You have seen several eggs being laid. And you know what to look for in the loon's behavior that indicates egg laying may be near. You have seen much more than what the most knowledgeable researchers were able to see for decades and decades.

In fact, many loon researchers watch the LoonCam to see things they could never see if they were out in the 'wild'.

When we captured that first egg laying on video, the light was just right so that the newly laid loon egg looked like it was made out of pure gold.

I think we are going to see the first egg laid in the next couple days.

So let's hope for a view of that "GOLDEN EGG".

Wednesday, May 3, 2013 6:12 am CDT

Guest User May 3, 2017

35 degrees F Clear Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:59 am CDT Sunset 8:22 pm CDT

This morning is a spectacular sunrise on Loon Lake.

There is not a breath of air moving. The whole lake is like a mirror with not one ripple. Other than from the occasional fish jumping. Or our loons and other birds swimming.

It is the kind of morning you just want to bottle and keep forever.

Gone are the high winds of the last number of days. And the cold. And the rain. And the snow.

There may be some rain that moves in later on today, but it should be short-lived. And the forecast for the next few days is spectacular. Maybe even up to 70 by this weekend.

Even though the loon nest has been battered by big waves, it seems to have held together amazingly well so far.

Our loons have already paid two visits to the nest this morning. The last one only 10 minutes ago. Now they have gone back out into the lake.

As they left, the male gave six yodels. As if to say, "This is MY territory! Everyone else stay away!!"

But it is encouraging that they continue to visit the nest.

As I said, the frequency of those visits will increase. And that is exactly what seems to be happening.

Yesterday they visited the nest and even mated once that I know of. Plus both loons exhibited some nest building behavior by digging with their feet to form a bowl as well as taking material with their bills and piling it along their sides.

You can expect this kind of behavior to continue and to increase in the days ahead.

However, they don't seem to have settled on a location for the 'bowl' yet. The male has tended to dig toward the front edge of the nest, much too close to the edge for my comfort. During the high waves yesterday morning, water was splashing onto the nest and filling the bowl with cold water.

The female has tended to dig towards the back edge of the nest, nearer to the camera.

But hopefully they will compare notes and settle on a location right in the middle of the nesting platform.

All of this seems to be going according to "plan". Visits to the nest. Mating. Getting comfortable with the nest (after all, this is a new pair of loons on the nest this year). Increasing frequency of visits to the nest. Digging and nest building behavior.

You can expect that on one of the visits (hopefully very soon) the nest building behavior will be obviously more urgent.

And then hopefully soon after that, an EGG! Or two.

We now approach a VERY exciting time on the nest as we watch - EXPECTANTLY!

Monday, May 1, 2017 8:05 am CDT

Guest User May 1, 2017

36 degrees F Rain/Snow Wind NE 7 mph

Sunrise 6:01 am CDT Sunset 8:20 pm CDT

It is a cold, windy, rainy/snowy start to the month of May.

The loons have already visited the nest once this morning. But it is not a pleasant day for them. Or for anyone.

During the night something happened that I don't think that I have ever seen before. Two small birds spent the night on the nest in the rain. I have seen small birds visit the nest during the day. But I have never seen them stay on the nest during the night before.

There are widespread rain showers across the area and snow in some areas. Some areas have gotten several inches of snow. So far it has been only a few snow flurries here. But you might see some occasional snow flurries this morning.

Beginning tomorrow the rain should move out, the temperatures begin to rise and it should be more like spring in Minnesota. Forecasts are for temperatures near 70 this weekend.

So things are looking up!

Now, what would really make things look up is for our loons to nest and lay a couple eggs.

At this point I am not concerned at all about the progress of our loons. Although at times I do tend to be paranoid. lol I always worry about getting everyone excited about the loons and then the possibility that they may not use the nest. But that is something that is totally out of my control. I can provide the nest. But beyond that I cannot do anything.

From that point on, it is out of my hands. It is totally up to the loons from that point on as to whether they will use the nest or not.

So we can only cross our fingers and hope.

It has been encouraging so far. The loons have taken an obvious interest in the nest and some ownership of it. But I think they are still getting used to it. Remember that this is a new pair of loons on the nest. If it had been previous occupants of the LoonCam nest, I think they would be more familiar with it and more at home.

I would expect things to speed up this next week.

Watch for the visits to the nest to become more frequent. We have already seen some slight nest building activities with the loons starting to move material around and a little bit of "digging" with their feet. But it has been pretty minimal so far.

Expect that activity to increase.

Then one day it will probably be obvious that they have become much more serious about building their nest. That is a good sign that we may be getting close to the first egg being laid.

Once it starts to happen, it goes pretty fast.

So don't miss a minute of it.

Until then, enjoy the brief glimpses of the loons that we may get. Enjoy the rain. Enjoy the lake.

And even enjoy the snow!

Sunday, April 30, 2017 8:40 am CDT

Guest User April 30, 2017

40 degrees F Cloudy Wind NE 3 mph

Sunrise 6:03 am CDT Sunset 8:18 pm CDT

It is a cloudy cool start to the day on this last day of April.

There is a storm system heading our way that has already dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of Denver.

It should reach us later today with mainly rain. But overnight and by tomorrow morning we may have snow here on Loon Lake. Snow on the first day of May. It is not unheard of. But it certainly is not common.

How much snow will there be? If any?

It will all depend on the exact track the storm takes. A few miles change in the storm track either way will make all the difference in the world. Forecasts have been changing every hour it seems.

The latest forecasts are projecting maybe a couple inches of snow here at the loon nest. But a few miles one direction they are predicting 6 to 8 inches. A few miles the other direction and they are predicting just rain.

It is now predicted to begin later today, which is already a change from the original prediction of it starting this morning.

But by next weekend the forecast is for temperatures around 70.

We can only wait to see what, if anything, happens.

Yesterday was a relatively quiet day with only a few visits to the nest. And one instance of mating.

But what was encouraging to see was the start of 'nest building'. The loons started the first signs of rearranging materials to build their nest. It has been minimal so far but at least it is a start.

That is the thing to watch for in the next few days.

You will see either or both loons begin to 'dig' with their feet, forming a bowl in the nesting material.

I would expect to see more of this nest 'digging' and rearranging materials in the next few days. As the activity increases, it tells us that we are closer and closer to the actual laying of any egg.

It will be interesting to see what effect the snow, if any, has on the activity on the nest.

Loons normally lay two eggs. Sometimes they lay only one. And rarely they will lay three eggs.

We are now approaching the time when things get really exciting - the laying of an egg.

Once the first egg is laid, you can be assured of seeing a loon almost any time you log in, 24 hours a day.

Enjoy.

Friday, April 28, 2017 10:15 pm CDT

Guest User April 28, 2017

38 degrees F Clear Wind Calm

Sunrise 6:06 am CDT Sunset 8:16 pm CDT

Well, today was another quiet, uneventful day on the lake and the LoonCam.

Except!

Today was another chilly windy day here at Loon Lake. But at least we finally had some sunshine and no rain.

Or SNOW.

The loons have been on the nest at least 2 times today that I am aware of. But I was gone most of the day so there may have been more that I did not see.

I don't think there was any mating today.

I got home about mid-afternoon and was out in the garden working on things.

I heard a couple calls from one of the loons. I immediately said out loud to myself, "Eagle!" I immediately headed to the lake to see what was going on. But I was smiling that I was now reduced to talking to myself!

When I got to where I could see the lake, I was surprised to see two mature eagles out toward the middle of the lake hovering just a few feet above the water.

Now I was smiling because I had actually understood what the loon was saying!

I figured that the eagles had spotted a fish that they were after.

But it is the first time I have ever seen two eagles hovering that close together - within just a few feet of each other and just a few feet above the water. The white of their heads and tails was brilliant in the bright sunshine.

They hovered for only a few seconds and then flew off together.

As they flew off, another loon started calling from another part of the lake as they flew over him. He was not at all pleased with their presence.

I looked toward the part of the lake where I heard the other call to see if I could see the other loon that had called. I couldn't see it. But with the waves it is difficult to pick them out.

But just then a loon surfaced very close to where the eagles had been hovering.

I can't say definitively that the loons had actually targeted and tried to attack the loon because I had not actually seen the 'attack' itself.

But that is the one explanation that fits with what I did see.

I feel about 80% confident that that is what had happened.

There is a long history between eagles and loons that obviously goes back to the mists of history. That is why loons automatically react to the presence of an eagle but not to much of anything else.

Eagles have been known to take young loons. I think we may have lost one of our young loons from the Loon Cam to an eagle a number of years ago, but again have no proof of that. You may remember him. The little loon that loved the nest and kept coming back over and over, even when the parents did not come back with him.

Eagles have also been known to target adult loons. I have actually seen it happen several times. But they have not actually taken an adult loon that I have ever personally seen, although there are reports of that happening.

With the size and weight of a loon, it is at the upper limit of what an eagle would be able to lift.

So once again in this case we cannot be absolutely certain of what actually happened. Because neither I now anyone else saw it happen.

But an attack by the eagles does fit with what I did see.

One of the neighbors on the lake is convinced that a loon DID injure our male from the LoonCam in 2015 and that that is what finally led to his death.

I had thought that it had been injured by a boat or jet ski. But I had ruled out an eagle.

However, this neighbor told me a story that makes me believe that it could have been an eagle to injured it and ultimately caused its death. I was hoping that the autopsy would tell us what the cause of death was. But they could not determine cause of death.

But here is what the neighbor told me.

He came out of his house one day and there was an eagle sitting in the big tree in his yard. That was not unsual.

But what was unusual was that the eagle was absolutely soaked and dripping with water as he sat in the tree.

So my neighbor knew that the eagle had been completely down in the water in the lake.

He said about 5 or 10 minutes later a loon came swimming out from under his dock!

Now normally loons never go under docks except under pretty extreme instances.

So my neighbor is convinced that the eagle attacked the loon and was dragged down in the water, the loon had escaped and went under his dock for safety and only came out after he felt it was safe.

This incident occurred only a couple days before our male loon washed up on shore, dead.

And he thinks that the loon was maybe badly wounded and died in the next few days from his wounds.

Once again, we will probably never know for sure.

But it is as good an explanation as anything.

Once again we are reminded that our loons face many challenges every day.

Most of which we never see nor are we aware of.

Minnesota Bound

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