We placed a floating loon nest
on Gull Pond at the beginning of 2011
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We placed a floating loon nest on Gull Pond at the beginning of 2011
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On or about June 24th the loons started staying on the nest 24/7. They are too skittish to get close enough to find out how many eggs there are. Normally loons lay two eggs a few days apart.
July 3rd. The loons have been very serious about staying on the nest. Yesterday we saw them switch over so one could feed while the other one sat on the nest.
July 9th. The loons are still sitting on the nest. They had a visit from an immature bald eagle. The loon on the nest jumped into the water, started making a call I had never heard before and swam away from the nest dragging one wing in the water. Reminded me of a grouse keeping a predator away from its chicks. The eagle left after a couple of passes and the loon returned to the nest.
July 20th. The egg hatched around 3:45pm. Within minutes the chick was in the water swimming. Dad (on the left in the left hand picture below took the chick for its initial swim. The chick did its first dive about 15 minutes later, tucked in under Dad's wing.
July 21 This was the day the loons abandoned the nest. Shortly after I took the picture below they headed out into the pond and haven't been back.
July 23 We spotted one of the loons just outside our cove with the chick riding on its back.
This has been an exciting month for us watching the loons deal with the vagaries of weather and water trying to hatch a chick. We learned from the folks at Biodiversity, who monitor the loons on Gull Pond, that the loons initially laid an egg very shortly after ice out. But the egg fell out of the nest into the water and became non-viable. The loons returned to the nest a week or so later and laid a second egg which appears to have been a success. They are obviously very determined to try their best. We will try again next year with some improvements to the nest.
July 31 The chick can now dive. We watched it dive and stay underwater for about 20 seconds today. It was with it's mother on the far SW corner of Gull Pond and dov e as we approached it.
August 14 The chick is diving regularly and is growing by leaps and bounds.
Last edited August 16, 2011