Page 18 - VLA Newsletter Fall 2022

One of the older Vermilion Lake Association loon nests has been maintained and deployed
by volunteer Greta Jeske. The loons have used the nest for two years; they abandoned the nest one year, and the eggs did not hatch the second year.
With low water levels
resulting from the
drought last year, we
were unable to re-
trieve the nest, so it
was frozen in for the
winter. The muskrats
chewed on some of the
Styrofoam in the base, damaging the nest. Fortunately, with the high-wa-
ter levels after ice-out, a pair of loons claimed the nest almost before the ice was completely gone. The mating ritual included circling the nest and cooing before the pair moved onto the nest together, and the female laid two eggs by the end of May.
The dedication by the adult loons was very apparent, and you could hear them calling to each other at different times throughout the night to protect the eggs. On June 25 one egg hatched, and the second egg hatched later that day. Unfortunately, by Sunday morning June 26, both chicks had disappeared most likely to a land predator or even a large fish. The adults spent the day diving under the nest and cir- cling the nest looking for the chicks. It was a sad day and it looked like another year would pass with no success in our bay. Shortly after the loss of the chicks, Greta was able to add more grass and fix a hole in the nest.
Greta continued her watch and, to her amazement, the courtship process began again, and they were both on the nest soon after losing the two chicks. On July 10th, the female loon laid two more eggs. This meant that loons had to incubate the eggs for anoth- er 25 to 26 days before they would hatch. They were intense, rarely leaving the nest and always protecting the eggs. Since the nest was only thirty feet from her dock and twenty feet from the shore, Greta would be in the area often. The loons would not leave the nest when she was near the dock, but if someone was with her, the loon would leave the nest. It was as though
Greta Jeske and one of the other loon nests used on Vermilion.
the loon knew Greta was not a threat.
On August 5, one of the eggs hatched and the chick was swimming in a short time; however, the second egg never hatched. Quickly the chick was on the back of one of the adult loons. The family continued to stay in the bay where the nest is located and would return frequently. It is highly unusual for a new chick to be born this late and be able to fly south before ice forms on the lake. The loons for all of August could be seen feeding the chick continually, probably real- izing that growing quickly is important.
In early September, only one of the adult loons was feeding and protecting the chick. I assume the other adult started its flight south. A lot of loons on Ver- milion fly to the Great Lakes for a month prior to heading south to Florida or the Gulf.
In the middle of September, I was out in the boat and the chick swam over near the boat while the remaining adult was about 70 yards away watching carefully. The chick was diving for food and looking for food by putting its head in the water. I thought it was starting to feed on its own, but the next day the adult was feeding it again.
The good news is that on September 30, I could see the chick and the adult. The chick raised up on the water and stretched its wings, which looked com- pletely formed. On October 9, the adult loon left
the young one alone. It has been seen still feeding in the bay. Since our articles must be complete by early October, we will have to wait to see if the chick leaves
Continued on next page
A Loon Story
Terry Grosshauser VLA Board Member
18 The Vermilion, Fall 2022