Loon Update

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I know this subject should be put on Winni Wildlife, but I thought more people would read it under General Discussion. My sister and I attended the loon update meeting last night at the Loon Center in Moultonborough. Loon chicks are surviving better on the smaller NH lakes. L. Winnipesaukee has only 3 surviving chicks. That includes the one we have in Green's Basin. The Green's Basin chick was born after the 3 attempted nesting. The biologists said that a number of loons abandoned their nests this summer because of the 90 degree+ temperatures. One of the loon pairs will sit on the nest for up to 5-6 hours at a time. Due to the extreme heat the loons were abandoning the nests . The loons actually seem to pant when overheated.

[LIforrelaxin]

Hummm this is interesting I never really thought about the heat from the stand point of getting hot enough for a loon to abandon its nesting site. It sad to some extent however also nature at its finest. That is the hardest thing when trying to get a species to recover is that mother nature does things that often hamper the process.

Now this brings me to an interesting question... Now personally I have never been in any position to be by a location on a regular basis where I could view a nesting site. But if someone was and they noted that they believed a site was abandoned, of course my recommendation would be to call the Loon Center.... However with loons has there been any history of rescuing abandoned eggs and hatching them? With a further adder of releasing them back into the wild?

[dog paw]

Wow, only three? There were two chicks in Buzzel's cove when we were there mid July. The looked like they were doing very well

[ApS]

That's a sad outcome, but just yesterday, I saw a small "Loonling" located about ¾-mile from me! (And was near some other forum members who wouldn't want to give out the location of any Loonling. )

This isn't "adding up".


.

[VtSteve]

I remember when Florida had to protect the Manatees, before they were everywhere

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Hummm this is interesting I never really thought about the heat from the stand point of getting hot enough for a loon to abandon its nesting site. It sad to some extent however also nature at its finest. That is the hardest thing when trying to get a species to recover is that mother nature does things that often hamper the process.

Now this brings me to an interesting question... Now personally I have never been in any position to be by a location on a regular basis where I could view a nesting site. But if someone was and they noted that they believed a site was abandoned, of course my recommendation would be to call the Loon Center.... However with loons has there been any history of rescuing abandoned eggs and hatching them? With a further adder of releasing them back into the wild?

The biologists suggested that they don't want human intrusion and that we should let nature take its' course. You do raise a good idea though. They did speak about having certain loon volunteers marking the top of the eggs with an X. If they go back the following day and the egg still has the X on top then the nest has probably been abandoned. When loons return to their nest they always turn the eggs over. If the X is still on top then the eggs have not been turned over. I do not know how long an egg can be viable without a loon nesting on it.

[donnamatrix]

We were fortunate to see the parents feeding the chick this weekend. The chick has grown about 10-fold in the last couple weeks. Really big. Monday night (8/30) we saw one of the parent - he caught a fish that seemed way to big for him to swallow-but he managed it!

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by donnamatrix

Monday night (8/30) we saw one of the parents - he caught a fish that seemed way to big for him to swallow-but he managed it!

It was perhaps 2 weeks ago I saw a loon doing just that a few hundred feet off our dock. At first I couldn't make out what he was doing. He kept "slapping" whatever he had caught into the water and tossing it about, like a cat playing with some animal it's caught. I wasn't even sure what it was ... I was wondering if loons play with driftwood just for fun ? Finally he got the fish oriented head down and hoisted it up to slide down his gullet and then I could see it was indeed a fish. I snapped a few pics with the longest lens I had. I'll see if I can find one where the fish is recognizable as such and post it. Odd to have loons in this part of Alton bay that time of year ...

[donnamatrix]

Loons, and all other fish-eating birds that eat the fish whole, like herons, must turn the fish so it slides down their throat head first. If not, the dorsal fin on most fish will open and get caught in the bird's throat, and they will probably not be able to dislodge it. So, they kind of "slap" the fish around, which stuns the fish a bit, and turn it until the fish is in the right position. It's really amazing to watch a blue heron due this. I don't know how the bird knows that the fish is in the "right" position to swallow, but they do.

[SIKSUKR]

I always eat my fish headfirst.

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I always eat my fish headfirst.

Well then, this simply confirms what I, and all your friends have long suspected... you are a loon!

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Pepper

Well then, this simply confirms what I, and all your friends have long suspected... you are a loon!

Thank you Ms Pepper. It's nice to have friends to kick around isn't it?