Wednesday, June 21, 2017 4:02 pm CDT

Guest User June 21, 2017

88 degrees Sunny Wind 3 mph S

5:26 am CDT 9:04 pm CDT

Summer is here!

Meteorological summer arrived about 11 pm last night. And today is an absolutely wonderful relaxing summer day here in Minnesota.

The sun does not set until 9:04 pm for several nights this time of year. And then the magical times of long twilight.

But what makes it even better is that the loons are swimming by out in front right now as I speak!

I have not seen them for the last 3 days. And I have wondered how they are.

I have been gone so much again the last few days that I have not seen them nor had the time to look for them. Two nights ago I heard them call from halfway around the lake. When I went down to look I saw an eagle flying over that part of the lake. But I could not see the loons.

So it is SO good to see them again right now.

The chicks have grown SO much. They are now about half the length of the adult loons!

They are hardly like the little chicks that we saw leave the nest two-and-a-half weeks ago. They still have their down which has now turn to a dark brown. They can now dive for short periods of time. But they are still almost totally reliant on their parents to bring them food.

And that is what they are doing right now. Both adults are busily bringing minnow after minnow to the chicks who eagerly gobble them up.

They look good. They look healthy. And they are very active.

As the adults dive for minnows and fish (yes, by now they can eat small fish, not just minnows), they peer underwater to see what is going on down there. I would also like to be able to be with them and peer down on the adults going after the fastest of little fish.

It is so gratifying to see them still not only surviving, but thriving.

Tomorrow night we are hoping to go out and capture the male to remove the data recorder that we put on his leg back in 2012. It will be good to retrieve it and download the data to see where all he went after we banded him and put the data recorder on his leg.

It probably has not been recording anything for the last 3 years or so. They are designed to record data for about a year. But the experience has been that they have recorded data for 2 years.

So hopefully we will gain much more information about our loons in general and this loon in particular. Where did he go after he left the lake here that fall? When did he make the migration down to the Gulf? Where did he spend the winter on the Gulf? When did he come back in the spring? How high and fast did he fly? How deep did he dive? Did he make the trip in one long phenomenal flight? Or did he stop somewhere along the way.

So many questions. And hopefully soon a few answers if we are able to capture him tomorrow night. If we do, then begins the long task of analyzing all the data.

The chicks are still too young to be able to band them tomorrow night so that probably will not happen. Whether Kevin feels like he should capture the female and band her tomorrow night is questionable. We will have to wait and see.

So think of us tomorrow night. In the darkest part of the night, probably sometime after midnight we will be out on the lake trying to find the loons, capture the male and retrieve the data recorder.

If we do, I will try to tell you what the data shows when I get a report on it.

But right now, everything feels right with the world.

And with our loons!

Friday, June 16, 2017 10:15 am CDT

Guest User June 16, 2017

68 degrees F Light Rain Wind 2 mph S

Sunrise 5:25 am CDT Sunset 9:03 pm CDT

Probably the biggest question that you have right now is what happened to the LoonCam and why is it "Off Air"?

I have been out of town for the last week on a speaking engagement and I just got home last night to find that the LoonCam was Off Air.

Apparently one of the storms that had gone through the area knocked out the power. All the digital clocks in my house were flashing and the server which processes and sends the picture to you was off.

I know that you would like to be able to see the loons, especially the chicks. I fully understand that. But for whatever little consolation it is to you, last night they stayed in the area out of view of the camera to the left. And this morning they are far enough away that you would not be able to see them, even with a zoom.

So I think this is the time to bring loon season to an end for 2017. And give the neighbor's property back to them to use.

They have been so wonderful in support of the LoonCam and limiting their own activities to help our loons.

Now the second question that I am sure you want to know - HOW are our little loons doing?

I saw them just a few minutes ago and THEY ARE DOING FINE!

Tomorrow they will be two weeks old!

And my how they have grown!

Right now both parents are feeding them as they hungrily gobble down every minnow that the parents bring to them.

It is hard to tell what their exact size is from a distance with binoculars. But I would guess that they are at least 6 to 8 inches long. They are now mostly out of danger of being taken by a largemouth bass. Although northerns, muskies and snapping turtles could still take them or at least do severe damage to them.

So that is good news.

But they are still very vulnerable to eagles.

The lake is always busy. But the next two weeks are a little bit quieter than it will be around the 4th of July holiday. So that is a good thing for our loons as they continue to grow and thrive. By the 4th, they will probably be able to dive a little bit to get out of the way of trouble.

And the bigger they get, the safer they will be from predators.

So there is good news in LoonLand this morning!

Thursday, June 8, 2017 11:15 pm CDT

Guest User June 9, 2017

63 degrees F Partly Cloudy Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:26 am CDT Sunset 8:59 pm CDT

Today has once again been a beautiful day here.

Lots of sunshine. Light winds. Low humidity. The days that Minnesota Winter Dreams are about.

And for our loons it has been a good day. With a few challenges.

But the important thing is that our chicks today were still doing well and growing. When i got home from a meeting I could not spot them anywhere but I have to assume that they are still ok.

Shortly after the loons and chicks made a swim by of the nest (which excited everyone watching), the loons were swimming close together, one chick on each parent's back. They were perfectly reflected in the mirror surface of the lake.

It was one of those perfect images that is etched in the mind forever.

But just a couple hours later, things changed!

Wails and tremolos and yodels.

When I went to see what was going on, two loons were in a face off. A tense face off. The other loon of our pair was a distance away with the chicks.

But soon he left the chicks almost flying across the water toward the other two loons!

The intruder loon was back! There were full penguin dances. Calling. Aggressive diving. Circling each other. Splashing. More penguin dances.

As if that were not enough, at exactly the time of that confrontation, a mature bald eagle flew low right over the chicks. He did not swoop down on them thankfully. They were sitting ducks sitting there all alone. Or should I say sitting loon chicks!

One of the loons seeing this headed for the chicks. Half running. Half flying! Then the other loon realized what happened and did the same thing.

They landed where the chicks had been. But where were the chicks now.

I looked and looked and could not see them! There were now ripples or small waves on the lake and I tried desperately to pick out the chicks.

The two loons called and looked and peered under water and called and looked. Then they started a number of excited dives. I still could not see the chicks. In all the excitement of an intruder loon AND an eagle, had another predator taken them.

The loons kept diving excitedly and surfacing and calling.

It seemed like this went on for an eternity. But it was probably only a minute or two that they kept diving excitedly.

But I watched with increasing concern, unable to spot the chicks!

Had something taken them? Had something pulled them under water in those few moments? Were they just hidden by the little waves? Was this real or a product of my concern or overactive imagination?

But then THERE was one chick. The adults immediately went to it. And then there was the second chick.

WHERE did they come from?

Obviously the adults were as concerned or more concerned than me. So it could not have been that they were there all along.

I have no explanation of what just happened.

But I am happy that the chicks are well!

Late this afternoon, both loons and chicks were relaxing near the outer buoys.

Much further out there were two kayakers sitting obviously just watching the loons. I look and kept working. They were being very respectful and causing no concern to the loons.

But about 5 minutes later, I heard the loons calling. I went to see what was upsetting them.

The two kayakers were outside the buoys to the right of the camera, but they were well inside the distance of the outer buoys. They had 'forced' one of the loons with the two chicks way up near shore.

She was calling with great concern.

Whether they had actually paddled in or just floated in, they had come in way too close. They were just sitting watching and enjoying the female loon calling and the little chicks.

But they were totally unaware that the male was right behind them doing repeated penguin dances. VERY upset. The female and chicks were trapped between the kayaks and the shore. I don't think they even realized what stress they were causing for our loons.

I waved at them and motioned for them to move off to the side and leave. If they understood, they took their sweet time doing it.

As they were turning their kayaks, the female took the opportunity to quickly swim with the chicks out to the male.

But unbelievably, just then a speed boat came by!

They slowed down to almost a stop when they saw the loons!

Now the loons were trapped between the kayaks and the speedboat. Fortunately he left right away, but as the kayaks left, they paddled right AT the loons!

There are sometimes for my own mental health I just need to walk away. But it is too hard to do.

I am an avid canoeist.

So I know that sometimes we think we are so much more 'environmentally friendly' than power boats (although I love them too!). But we sometimes have a superiority complex even though we seldom admit it.

It was very disappointing to me when I learned by watching our loons that canoes and kayaks can be much more stressful to loons than most speedboats.

I think it is because we are much slower, we get closer and we are lower to the water than other boats. And so loons see us as much more of a threat.

Did these kayakers mean to upset the loons. I don't think so for a minute.

I think it was just another case of sometimes we love our loons too much!

But other than those things, it was a 'real easy day' for our loons, I thought with tongue in cheek!

I need to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to my wonderful neighbors!

Without their interest and support and love of our loons, it would be impossible to do the LoonCam! They limit their own activities to keep from upsetting the loons.

All it would take is one neighbor who did not do that and the LoonCam could not be done.

THANK YOU!

Wednesday, June 7, 2017 10:18 pm

Guest User June 7, 2017

65 degrees F Scattered Rain Wind 6 mph E

Sunrise 5:26 am CDT Sunset 8:58 pm CDT

Today has been a very good day.

The loons came back!

All four of them. Both adults and BOTH chicks.

They have spent the entire day in the area of the nest, usually hanging out right at the buoys that surround the nesting area.

Why they disappeared for a few days, I don't know. Where they went, I don't know.

But now they are back and that is the most important thing and the best thing.

Like I mentioned before, I was gone most of Saturday and Sunday so I didn't have a chance to look for them with binoculars until evening. What concerned me the most was that one of the other people on the lake said they had gone around the entire lake actually looking for them and saw no loons at all. That is when my heart sank.

Whether they were hiding in the weeds. Or whether they made their way into one of the channels off the lake will probably be something we never know.

Today someone else said on Sunday they saw the loons and the chicks on Sunday on the other side of the lake from where I spotted them last night. So they really ranged far and wide in these few days. She said there was so much boat traffic on the lake that she was very concerned that a fast boat would hit the chicks.

After all, they cannot dive at all at this age. Or dive deep enough to get away from a boat bearing down on them. That is a very good reason for you to share with your boating family and friends to be on the lookout for little loon chicks.

I guess we could speculate and guess endlessly of where they went and why, but the important thing is that they are back.

And today they seemed very content just to stay here in the area of the nest.

And I was very content as well to have them back and to know that they were ok. Healthy and active.

In the 3 /1 days since I saw them, they have grown SO much. In my field notes that I keep, I made the note that it looks like they are at least THREE TIMES as big as they were when they left the nest on Saturday morning!

Obviously they must have good appetites and they must be getting fed very well.

The chicks are totally dependent on the parents for their food for the first number of weeks of their lives.

I may delay shutting down the camera for a few days now that they have come back to the nesting area. I hope that you will get a glimpse of them now and then. I don't want to raise your hopes unnecessarily because the glimpses will still be few and far between. But hopefully you will see them.

But today you can rest assured that our two little loons are alive, very active and doing well.

And that is the whole reason we have ridden this roller coaster of emotions, isn't it?

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 9:30 pm

Guest User June 6, 2017

64 degrees F Clear Wind Calm

Sunrise 5:26 Sunset 8:56 pm CDT

Today has been another absolutely spectacular day here in Minnesota.

Blue skies, lots of sun and low humidity.

We are rapidly approaching our longest days of the year. And during these days we also experience something else that many of you in other parts of the country do not - a long period of twilight in the evening. Just a beautiful, peaceful time of the day.

A perfect summer day.

The one thing that would make it better is loons.

I still have not seen our loons since early Sunday morning when I told you about seeing them. But I have been gone so much that I have not had much time to look. And I have not had a chance to get out on the lake since they left the nest.

Yesterday I told you that I 'was not concerned at all' that I had not seen them. That they could be anyplace. And that is true that they could be anyplace. But the first part was a little bit of a white lie.

When it comes to the loons, it seems like I always get concerned.

And I didn't want to pass that concern on to you without knowing what I was talking about.

But I have to admit that my concern was starting to grow.

When I got home just before dark on Sunday night, I immediately went down to the lake to look for our loons. They weren't there! There were waves so I kept telling myself that they are out there someplace even though I expected them to be closer to the nest.

I am used to them remaining in the area of the nest for the first couple weeks. And then they gradually wander out further and further.

And they definitely were not in the area of the nest.

I thought back to Sunday morning when I had last seen them about 5 am. About an hour after that there had been NUMEROUS wails and even yodels from quite a distance away. I looked but I could not spot them I did not see an eagle but I figured that THEY had seen one in the area and did not like it.

So that started to concern me when they still were not around Sunday night at dusk.

Then Monday morning about 5:30 am I went down to look to see if I could spot our loons. NOTHING. Anywhere. I had fully expected to see them somewhere in the area of the nest. But they were not there nor could I see them with binoculars anywhere on the lake.

My concern grew. That is when I told you the white lie that I was not concerned at all!

I kept telling myself that they were just hiding in the bull rushes someplace where I could not see them. And that they were there and that they were OK. But I WANTED to see them to KNOW that was true.

So that is when I told you that I was "not concerned at all". I was starting to become concerned. Not an overwhelming concern but concerned none the less. I wanted to give you facts that I KNEW, not something I feared. And I did not want to concern you.

About 3:30 pm on Monday, I heard a loon yelling "EAGLE!" I know! It is silly but it really has gotten to the point where most times I can tell when they are calling about an eagle in the area as compared to some other call.

There was a SINGLE loon sitting just out beyond the buoys!

Was it one of our loons? There were two mature bald eagles circling overhead. And the loon did not like it.

I strained mightily to try to see chicks. My heart sank. I could not see any chicks. Just the loon concerned about the eagle. My concern went up another notch and my heart sank a little deeper.

Had all the calls I heard on Sunday morning actually been eagles targeting our chicks? I actually thought the unthinkable! Had the eagles actually TAKEN our chicks?

I wondered if they took them all the way over to where they had nested last year? But that was TOO far away with two tiny chicks.

My concern grew.

Early this morning, once again I went down to the lake with binoculars right at dawn.

NO sign of loons that I could see anywhere. My concern went up another notch. I started to think how do I tell YOU about this? What if our chicks are really gone? I didn't want to say ANYTHING until I was sure of something. But it was looking worse and worse.

The evenings and nights had been silent. No loons calling.

Later this morning I was talking to another resident of the lake about some business concerning the lake and maintaining its quality. After we took care of business, he asked me about the loons. I told him that I had not seen them since early Sunday morning but that they could be almost anyplace.

But then he said something I did NOT want to hear.

He had been around the entire lake on their pontoon on Sunday afternoon. They specifically were looking for loons. And they did not see ONE loon! Anywhere on the lake.

My heart really sank. And my concern went up a number of notches.

I was being forced to come to terms with what I did not want to come to terms with. Our loons were GONE!

Where? Why? HOW?

Once again my thoughts went to you. All of you who have watched and cared so deeply about our loons and those two cute new loon chicks!

How was I going to tell you that I think they are actually gone but I don't know how or when or where?

About 9:15 pm tonight, just after the sun had set I was raking weeds in the lake and we were in the long twilight hours, I heard a loon wailing.

Yes! Unmistakably it was a loon wailing.

I ran up to the house to get the binoculars. Another wail. And then another.

In the shadows of trees reflecting in the darkening light, I think I see a loon. But I can't be sure. I strain to see.

YES!

It IS a loon about a quarter of a mile away around the lake. But it definitely is a loon in those shadows and darkness.

Just then there is a YODEL a little further away. There is a MALE loon. Then tremolos and answering tremolos. Wails and answering wails.

I see a second loon, apparently the male, swimming toward the first loon that I had seen.

Oh how I wish they would come further out into the lake out of the dark shadows of the trees reflecting in the lake so that I could see them.

But they stay in the shadows.

Can it be?! CAN IT BE?!

I think I see a tiny little speck of black moving between the two adult loons!

CAN IT BE?!

I strain and look and squint. The more I look, the more I become sure that it is a little chick swimming between the two adults. I don't want to just think and I hope that it isn't wishful thinking.

The more I look, the more I am convinced it is a little CHICK!

It is OUR loons!

But is it just one chick? Or are there two?

Then I see another shadow that might be the second chick!

The more I look, the more I am convinced that BOTH loons and BOTH chicks are there!

I am still not FULLY convinced but I am more than 90% sure of what I have seen.

Now I want to see them in bright daylight to be absolutely sure!

But my heart soared.

Our loons were there!

Our chicks were there and seemingly active and healthy from what I could see.

So tonight is a good night!

A VERY good night!!

Minnesota Bound

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