The Loons are Getting Ready
So much to talk about in one clip!
First, we see the male pulling up pieces of vegetation from the water and tossing them around. This is classic nest site selection behavior. In this case, we know that the camera is focused on the traditional nest site for this pair, so we could interpret this as a tentative effort at nest building or maintenance.
There actually is an existing nest bowl on a hummock here; it just happens to be submerged. Water levels all over the Lakes Region are especially high this Spring. We see the female glide up to the nest, take a quick look, and then begin to paddle away. It’s as if she’s saying “It’s not time yet.”
Just the fact that the loons are thinking about nesting on April 30th is remarkable. This is a good two weeks earlier than we would normally expect. The trend toward earlier springs is resulting in earlier nesting.
