Loon Chicks

[Greene's Basin Girl]

We have two new new loon chicks in the basin. An intruder tried to break the pair up, but he was chased out of the area.

[whalebackpoint'r]

There is also activity at the nest site near the Marcus Wildlife Sanctuary which the LPC has now roped off to protect them. They also have an active loon cam which can be found here:
http://www.loon.org/looncam.php?utm_source=Live+Loon+Cam&utm_campaign=2014+Loon+Cam&utm_medium=email

[Chaselady]

2 chicks sighted today between Melvin and Chase islands.

[CateP]

Spotted one loon chick with parent in S. Wolfeboro bay today. Also saw a group of three adults in the same area. Not far away, by the Varney Islands we saw an adult loon freak out over a snorkeler who apparently was getting too close to an island nest. All told... Six loons in Wolfeboro today.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

The snorkeler may cause the loons to abandon the nest. I guess he needs to be educated about loon nesting sights.

[Just Sold]

There is an active loon nest near the bridge to the basin in Winter Harbor. Last night it was making a lot of noise in response to some personal fireworks being fired off. This morning it woke me with a wonderful song. Right now there is some waterskiing going on out in front of where we are staying but they are keeping their distance from the floating loon nest, I just love the Loons.

[tis]

That baby was born just before the 4th, Just Sold. If you just came in Sat. you will probably see it today. The red signs are just signs. They nested in the Basin this year. (The loons not the sign.)

[Lakegeezer]

The looncam up at Lees Mills shows two eggs sitting on an empty nest. Wondering if the adults decided out they are not going to hatch, or is the nest commonly left unattended? Edit: Question answered. Loon is back on the nest.

[chasedawg]

We have two new chicks off Chase Island. What a wonderful sight. I was told by the Loon Preservation patrol that their has been 15 new Loon chick sightings on the lake so far this year. There may be more. Last year there were a total of 8, I was told. They have already ran out of loon chick signs. That is a good "sign" :)
Let's help the Loon Patrol folks out identifying new chicks in your area. They are short staff and any sightings would certainly help them keep tabs on the head count and their location. They would very much appreciate it I'm sure.

[Mskelt]

Have spent the morning watching two adult loons teach their chick how to dive. So happy to see this little guy after the rough boat traffic in the channel this weekend. 9606

[glennsteely]

Ive been coming up to Winni all of my 46 years. We were owners until I was in my 30's, now just "trippers" Ive always loved loons but they were so close to gone that they were very rare even to see when we owned a house on the lake. I have NEVER seen a live "loonling" is that what you call them?.....I want to see pictures, please. Please post all of your pics, I love to see them!! Thank you to all.

[ApS]

I was discussing these very Loons today, and mentioned that my only foray into the "Arts" (after one stained-glass success) was in cloisonné, or "enameling".

The two Loons at the Basin were seen feeding the youngster, and that reminded me of one of my earlier "works". Out of a total of 20 pieces, all but two had Loon subjects.

:look:

[tis]

I like that!

[tis]

Not the clearest pic but at least you can see the baby.

[glennsteely]

Thank you so much for sharing that. My wife and I were watching the live loon cam this morning, talking about how rare they used to be. We would litterally go a whole summer without seeing a single loon sometimes, we would hear them, but not see them, then again, Meredith Bay is not exactly loonville. We have seen them in increasing numbers year after year, but we have NEVER seen a baby! That is so exciting! Beautiful shot!!

We accually saw one diving at Disney World, in one of the lagoons in May of this year. My wife spotted it and said "look, thats a loon" i didnt believe it, but it was!

[tis]

Thanks, glenn, glad you enjoyed seeing it. You are right, when I was a kid, I never remember seeing a loon and maybe that is why it is so exciting for me to have them back. These loons are like pets to us. They know us and know our voices. (They should know mine since I talk to them all the time. LOL) They even know our dogs and are not afraid of them. They feel safe with us and that makes me happy. When someone else comes they are very cautious- my neighbor's grown kids came with their dog and the loons immediately left. We had company come with a dog and they left. Yet our dogs don't bother them at all. Oh, and they hate when an airplane flies over. I guess anything that is different to them!! These two loons have been here for a long time. When my neighbors first moved here, the lady swam over to see me. She passed the loon on the way and she asked me if I saw the loon attack her. She was really nervous. Apparently the loon wasn't familiar with her and she went a little too close. After I went out on a tube to see if the loon would get upset if I went close and the loon didn't care.

[glennsteely]

....when On Golden Pond first came out (still my favorite movie of all time!) I remember thinking....."man, they must have tons of loons over on Big Squam" and my grandmothers response was something about it was just a catch for the movie, that they were all but gone in the lakes region.....

well.....enjoy them, I cant wait for our trek this year, maybe we will get lucky and see a few.

Thanks again.

[tis]

You mean the wooden decoy loons in the movie??? :laugh:

[glennsteely]

My point exactly, why were there so many there, but not on our lake? ha X 3.

[tis]

I was trying to remember-was there a loon in the shot on Wolfeboro Bay in that movie?

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Thanks, glenn, glad you enjoyed seeing it. You are right, when I was a kid, I never remember seeing a loon and maybe that is why it is so exciting for me to have them back. These loons are like pets to us. They know us and know our voices. (They should know mine since I talk to them all the time. LOL) They even know our dogs and are not afraid of them. They feel safe with us and that makes me happy. When someone else comes they are very cautious- my neighbor's grown kids came with their dog and the loons immediately left. We had company come with a dog and they left. Yet our dogs don't bother them at all. Oh, and they hate when an airplane flies over. I guess anything that is different to them!! These two loons have been here for a long time. When my neighbors first moved here, the lady swam over to see me. She passed the loon on the way and she asked me if I saw the loon attack her. She was really nervous. Apparently the loon wasn't familiar with her and she went a little too close. After I went out on a tube to see if the loon would get upset if I went close and the loon didn't They don't like the noise from fireworks at all.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I was trying to remember-was there a loon in the shot on Wolfeboro Bay in that movie?

I believe it was Gilford and Dover. They tried to save the one in Dover, but the loon later died. So very very sad! I wish they could catch these shooter's. I won't tell you what I think they should do with them!

[tis]

Sorry, GBG, I meant in the movie, On Golden Pond, when they were riding around in the boat on Wolfeboro Bay, was there a loon in that particular shot? I know this has been commented on before here.

[Newbiesaukee]

I have become obsessed with the Loon Cam. One had hatched and the mother/ father has widened the opening in the other egg. I just stopped watching a few minutes ago...there were people speaking in the background...I hope they won't disturb the loons. The chick had just crawled under the parent's wing...gotta go back and watch.

[Newbiesaukee]

Someone just asked if she could stand behind the camera...again I hope she knows what she is doing!!!

[glennsteely]

I just saw the hatchling.....OMG! That little dude is cute!! All fuzzy and stuff.....makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!! Nature is one of God's greatest gifts to us.....look, listen and preserve!

[whalebackpoint'r]

Photos are not high quality but show the Loon family in Green's Basin.:liplick:

[secondcurve]

I have decided that in my next life I will come back as a Loon. They are treated, quite literally, like royalty.

[glennsteely]

I'd get loony with you.....not a bad thing to come back as......I like to swim, I really enjoy to eat fish and sitting on my a*& on a nest for a few months at a time might be something I'm really good at. At least thats what my wife says!!

[whalebackpoint'r]

and they really seem to relish being photographed by humans!

[upthesaukee]

Not so happy. We have been down in Roberts Cove both yesterday and today, and have not seen any signs of the nesting pair on Plum Island. I believe one Loon volunteer was in a small Bostln Whaler and dragged the three loon nesting area signs together, then lifted one into the boat, leaving the other two tied together. As we left the area, we went out at headway speed and the floating nest seemed to be totally empty, whereas a few weeks ago had sitting loons in it. Disappointing. :(

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[Aguamenti]

We have a pair with two chicks on Mirror Lake right now as well. :)

[tis]

Not so happy. We have been down in Roberts Cove both yesterday and today, and have not seen any signs of the nesting pair on Plum Island. I believe one Loon volunteer was in a small Bostln Whaler and dragged the three loon nesting area signs together, then lifted one into the boat, leaving the other two tied together. As we left the area, we went out at headway speed and the floating nest seemed to be totally empty, whereas a few weeks ago had sitting loons in it. Disappointing. :(

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There WAS a baby born in Robert's Cove, up. We saw it! I hope it is still ok. We saw it either last weekend or the weekend before and it was ok then.

[tis]

We have a pair with two chicks on Mirror Lake right now as well. :)

WOW!! I didn't know that! That might be a first??? I can't help but wonder if the parents were some of the babies born on WH in the past years. Wouldn't you love to know?

[snowflake]

I really enjoyed the Loon Preservation live cam on the loon nest. I watched the first chick jump in and take a swim and then struggle to climb back into the nest. It was adorable. Saw #2 on Tuesday and today they seem to be gone. I hope they survive. What a treat to watch!

[Aguamenti]

WOW!! I didn't know that! That might be a first??? I can't help but wonder if the parents were some of the babies born on WH in the past years. Wouldn't you love to know?


We had a nesting pair last year too. It would be neat if the WH loons were spreading their wings, so to speak. [emoji4]

[tis]

We had a nesting pair last year too. It would be neat if the WH loons were spreading their wings, so to speak. [emoji4]

It would be!!! I wish there was a way we could know. I know they banded them a couple of years, maybe three years ago, so maybe the LP Society could find out?? Supposedly they come back to the same area they were born so it is very possible!! I WANT to know!!!

[GusMan]

We saw three loon chicks over on Milton Three Ponds over the weekend. One pair with the parents and another with a single adult.

Pretty cool!

Gusman

[upthesaukee]

Woo hoo!!! All is well with the Robert's Cove loon chick. Just saw it and one of the parents. Sure is tough being a surrogate grandparent to a loon chick. Whew :)

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[tis]

Woo hoo!!! All is well with the Robert's Cove loon chick. Just saw it and one of the parents. Sure is tough being a surrogate grandparent to a loon chick. Whew :)

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Oh, I could have saved you the worry if my post didn't go somewhere in la la land. We saw it right after you wrote the post that you were worried so I tried to tell you. Sorry, I don't know what happened. It is just awful being surrogates, isn't it? You worry all the time! :D

[tis]

My post didn't get lost after all, upthesaukee. Go back and look at #33. Thought I was really losing it for a while, cuz' I was pretty sure that had posted!!

[upthesaukee]

I saw it, but there had been a few days go by , and the volunteer's actions confused me (not a difficult chore :) ). And yes, ya end up with worry lines over them thar chicks :).

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[Greene's Basin Girl]

I just read that another loon died of lead poisoning in Moultonborough. I wish fishermen would stop using lead sinkers and jigs.

[webmaster]

http://thecitizen.villagesoup.com/p/one-loon-dies-but-another-born-on-lake-winnipesaukee/1216829

[secondcurve]

http://thecitizen.villagesoup.com/p/one-loon-dies-but-another-born-on-lake-winnipesaukee/1216829

Good article. I learned something. I always assumed that Loons were finding lead sinkers on lake/pond bottoms. Thus, I didn't understand how they could ever get ahead of the situation as there must be a lot of lead sinkers on lake/pond bottoms from years past. The article explains that the lead usually makes its way into the Loon when the Loon devours fish that have lead sinkers in them or on a line trailing them. Makes sense as fish with lead/hooks, etc. in them are slow moving and easy targets for the Loons.

[upthesaukee]

Not just 1 chick, but TWO!!!!!! (Yes, I am shouting, with joy.)

[Misha888]

When the Smith Cove loon was shot I nearly cried. We had been watching the same pair for over 7 years. She/He has moved on. Found another mate perhaps. I now see a pair over by Pig but rarely in the cove anymore.

Thank you for sharing and caring.

I saw it, but there had been a few days go by , and the volunteer's actions confused me (not a difficult chore :) ). And yes, ya end up with worry lines over them thar chicks :).

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[Greene's Basin Girl]

We saw three pairs of loons today traveling from Greene's Basin to Melvin Bay. Each loon pair had two chicks. I have been in this area of the lake my entire life and seeing six chicks is very unusual. This is very exciting!!!

[tis]

We saw three pairs of loons today traveling from Greene's Basin to Melvin Bay. Each loon pair had two chicks. I have been in this area of the lake my entire life and seeing six chicks is very unusual. This is very exciting!!!

Yes! That is amazing! Wish I had seen them!

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I went to the Loon Preservation's annual meeting on Thursday evening. There are 22 or 24 ( can't quite remember) chicks surviving at the present time on Lake Winnipesaukee. Squam Lake has one chick. Squam has a number of problems with chemicals running into it from tributaries. Plymouth State is trying to pinpoint the source of the chemical runoff.

[tis]

Are your two still ok, or did you lose one GBG?

[Merrymeeting]

Merrymeeting has its first chick in several years. So far so good and growing larger quickly.

[tis]

Yea, Merrymeeting! So glad to hear that. Have the loons been there but just didn't have chicks?

[Merrymeeting]

Yes, they've been here. But the past few years the predators (usually raccoon) have raided the nests and taken the eggs before they hatched, or the nests have been abandoned, most likely because the eggs were not viable.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Are your two still ok, or did you lose one GBG?

The chicks in the basin are fine. They are getting so big. Thanks for asking.

[upthesaukee]

Hey Tis... we took a swing down into Winter Harbor and were going to hang out by the bridge into the Basin. We saw mama Loon and here chick diving for food. Mama would dive, chick followed, mama catches fish, both surfaced, and mama fed the chick. Cool to watch. But it was a little crowded, so we left.

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[tis]

Hey Tis... we took a swing down into Winter Harbor and were going to hang out by the bridge into the Basin. We saw mama Loon and here chick diving for food. Mama would dive, chick followed, mama catches fish, both surfaced, and mama fed the chick. Cool to watch. But it was a little crowded, so we left.

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I know, it's so much fun to watch them, isn't it? Baby gets a lot of his own food now, but Mom and Dad still help. They got more than a little nervous with some of the boats today.

[upthesaukee]

Yes, besides the several boats in the cove, some of the occupants weren't particularly quiet...not Braun Bay or West Alton noisy, but certainly not quiet either.

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[john60ri]

My daughter saw a loon chick and its mom while kayaking on White Oak Pond last week. We saw loons and heard loon calls every day, more than in previous years.

[SIKSUKR]

Everytime I see the name of this thread I think of a different kind of "Loon(Mt) Chicks".

[Merrymeeting]

Chick sleeps while mom keeps guard.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/509/BabeSleeps.jpg

[Mskelt]

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9882&stc=1&d=1411263264

[tis]

That is an amazing picture with the fish in his/her mouth!!! You had to time that just right!