The Loons are nesting in the traditional location in the deep inlet on the north shore of the lake, the same place they nested last year, but deeper in the cove because of the higher water. I spotted the location on May 30th, and it is well hidden: if I hadn’t seen one of the loons hanging around the area, I’d never have known it was there. I was able to get one (not very good) photograph of the loons on the nest (below). In previous years, fluctuating water levels have made successful nesting a real challenge with the biggest risk being flooding due to a rapid rise in water level. The good news this year is the lake level is already at the High Water Mark and stable, so even if we get heavy rains, the lake level won’t rise enough to flood the nest.
The loons are already actively sitting on the nest, so I assume they’ve already laid their eggs. Typically loons lay 2 eggs which take 26 to 28 days to hatch. Last year their nest was spotted on the same day (May 30) and the eggs hatched on or about June 24th so we don’t have too long to wait. Sadly, neither of last year’s chicks survived. We don’t know what happened to them, but certainly, the challenges baby loons face are many. We’re hoping for better luck this year! Today I went over and placed a Loon Nesting sign out in front of the cove. Please give the area a wide berth.
Here are a few photographs:
