Had a really awesome morning this past Saturday completing the annual loon count on Wabana Lake with my dad--this is a volunteer program through the Minnesota DNR, called the Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program (MLMP.) When I was growing up, I would do this count in Otter Tail County, although I was assigned a much smaller lake, so was easily able to survey from the vehicle.
2014 was my first year surveying in Itasca County. The past few years, Wabana Lake has been surveyed by the DNR coordinator of the MLMP for this region, but she graciously entrusted the count to me. I surveyed by kayak and motorized boat last year, under iffy weather conditions, and remember being exhausted by the time I was done. This year, the cavalry arrived on Friday night, and by cavalry I mean my dad, and his (way more comfortable) boat.
We had stunning weather. The lake was so calm, the lighting perfect. Wabana is a big lake, 2222 acres, with many bays, islands, and a northern cove that is wilderness.
I grew up on a lake. We always had loons. I saw them all the time, nature is my gig, etc. When we bought our cabin on Wabana, I thought I knew quite a bit about loons. In reality, I didn't know squat about loons. I never had the chance to see them in such a big space, where they exist in overlapping territories, or where they clash repeatedly with predators. I have learned more about loons from sitting in a kayak for two summers than I could possibly have imagined, and all of this helped us complete the count this year with accuracy and efficiency.
Last year, I only found one, tiny chick. It was a late spring--the cold weather delayed nesting, and negatively impacted chick survival. When drifted in to be sure of the number, the parents became very agitated--they were concealing the chick under their wings, calling and swimming rapidly. I immediately back paddled, assuming I was the cause of their distress. That's when a shadow passed over the water, and I turned to see an eagle inspecting this fragile family. We saw that particular chick many times last summer, and into the fall. It felt almost like a victory to know that the chick almost certainly survived long enough to migrate.
The chicks stole the show again this year. We counted 39 adult loons and three chicks, so our map was looking pretty full! The parent pictured above had no problem showing off his/her chick, and brought it right up to our boat. Loon chicks are very entertaining, because they display so many adult characteristics from such a young age (they are semi-precocial.) This chick could do short dives, wag back feet, and stretch up to flap his/her wings...just like mom and dad.
MLMP is often recruiting volunteers for certain Minnesota counties--follow the link at the top of this entry if you are interested in learning more!
2014 was my first year surveying in Itasca County. The past few years, Wabana Lake has been surveyed by the DNR coordinator of the MLMP for this region, but she graciously entrusted the count to me. I surveyed by kayak and motorized boat last year, under iffy weather conditions, and remember being exhausted by the time I was done. This year, the cavalry arrived on Friday night, and by cavalry I mean my dad, and his (way more comfortable) boat.
We had stunning weather. The lake was so calm, the lighting perfect. Wabana is a big lake, 2222 acres, with many bays, islands, and a northern cove that is wilderness.
I grew up on a lake. We always had loons. I saw them all the time, nature is my gig, etc. When we bought our cabin on Wabana, I thought I knew quite a bit about loons. In reality, I didn't know squat about loons. I never had the chance to see them in such a big space, where they exist in overlapping territories, or where they clash repeatedly with predators. I have learned more about loons from sitting in a kayak for two summers than I could possibly have imagined, and all of this helped us complete the count this year with accuracy and efficiency.
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| Buckman Cove |
Last year, I only found one, tiny chick. It was a late spring--the cold weather delayed nesting, and negatively impacted chick survival. When drifted in to be sure of the number, the parents became very agitated--they were concealing the chick under their wings, calling and swimming rapidly. I immediately back paddled, assuming I was the cause of their distress. That's when a shadow passed over the water, and I turned to see an eagle inspecting this fragile family. We saw that particular chick many times last summer, and into the fall. It felt almost like a victory to know that the chick almost certainly survived long enough to migrate.
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| Hello! |
The chicks stole the show again this year. We counted 39 adult loons and three chicks, so our map was looking pretty full! The parent pictured above had no problem showing off his/her chick, and brought it right up to our boat. Loon chicks are very entertaining, because they display so many adult characteristics from such a young age (they are semi-precocial.) This chick could do short dives, wag back feet, and stretch up to flap his/her wings...just like mom and dad.
MLMP is often recruiting volunteers for certain Minnesota counties--follow the link at the top of this entry if you are interested in learning more!
