Loon news will be posted here along with photos and information about the Michigan and Wisconsin LoonWatch groups. This fall I decided to leave the platform in place through the winter. At seminars and workshops that Linda and I have attended many people have said that they leave their platforms in place and have had no damage. We will see how it works on Moon Lake.
The 2010 summer saw the successful hatch and fledge of 2 chicks. The ice went out on March 31, 2010, which is very early. In past years, loons appeared on the lake the day the ice went out or even sooner if there were large open areas. The “loon experts” say that early arrival is the best way for resident loons to protect their breeding lake from intruders. We talked to Mike Meyer of Wisconsin DNR in Rhinelander, and he was excited to see what would happen this year because of the early ice-out. The first Moon Lake loon did not arrive until April 9, 2010. That day, 1 loon (probably the male) was sighted. The second loon was sighted on April 12, 2010. It appears that the loons were not close enough to the area to take advantage of the early ice-out, so they arrived at about the time they would in “normal” years. Subsequent discussions with Mike Meyer indicated that loons arrived about 2 weeks after ice-out throughout the region, and it appeared that resident loons were able to claim and defend their home breeding areas rather than being displaced by early arriving rivals.
By April 18, 2010, the loons were starting to show interest in the nesting platform; and on May 15, 2010, they were observed doing an exchange on the nest which is a sure sigh that they have at least 1 egg. During the time from their first arrival until the eggs were laid, numerous territorial encounters were observed around the lake. Speculation among people on the lake is that our “old” pair that had successfully produced chicks for several years prior to 2009 had been displaced in 2009 by another pair which was not successful in breeding. In 2010 it appears that the previous pair was able to reclaim the lake. This could have been the result of the early ice-out and early arrival of the previous pair, and the pair from last year may have not returned to Moon Lake because they were not successful in breeding. Whatever the case , we had our “old” pair back.
On June 12, 2010, 2 chicks were observed with the 2 adults, so our loon pair had gotten over the first hurdle; and now the hard work of raising chicks started. The chick rearing went along without much real drama beyond the usual defense of the chicks from rival loons and numerous Bald Eagles. It was apparent early on that one chick was developing more rapidly than the other. Throughout the summer, one chick consistently developed feeding and flying skills sooner than its sibling; however, both chicks thrived and grew.
About September 8, 2010, one chick and one adult disappeared from the lake. We presume that they left to stage for their migration, and the remaining adult stayed to continue raising the remaining chick which had not been observed flying at that time. On about September 19, 2010, the remaining adult left and the chick was observed flying. That chick stayed on the lake until about October 22, 2010.
So, the 2010 loon season on Moon Lake appears to be successfully concluded, and they are on their way to their wintering grounds in the Gulf of Mexico or the south Atlantic coast off the Carolinas and Florida. The migration is not well understood and is being studied with GPS telemetry. Most, if not all, loons from this region move to Lake Michigan then move south on the lake and disperse south or southeast from there. It is known that our loons probably won’t arrive in their wintering area until December or January (see web site below, as some loons have reached the Gulf already). Mike Meyer has said that he and other loon experts are cautiously optimistic that the Gulf oil spill will not have a major impact on the loons.
I will provide updates on the situation in the Gulf as I get information. Here is a web site where you can see telemetry information for tagged loons from the region. If I learn how to turn this address into a link I will do it soon. http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html