Nest Building and Nest Site Selection

Our loon pair continues to build up the nest mound, although at a leisurely rate. In fact, it seems they spend more time inspecting other nearby spots as possible new nest sites. We shouldn’t be surprised at this. This pair has used different sites in the past. In fact, the current nest is the second location they’ve used since we began the loon cam in 2015. Also, loons are much more likely to abandon a nest location after a failed nesting attempt. Although by LPC standards last year’s nesting attempt was successful (they hatched a chick), the chick was taken off the nest by an eagle just hours after hatching. So it shouldn’t be surprising if the loons are contemplating a change in location, especially considering that the eagle has blatantly made its presence known to the pair.

The good news (for camera logistics) and bad news (for the loons) is, other than this general location, there is no desirable nesting habitat on this lake. There are no islands nor sizable marshes. The mucky peat mounds in this cove offer the best nesting opportunities for the loons. Chances are excellent that if the nest is moved it will still be within sight of the camera. But predicting loon behavior can be a fool’s errand. We’ll just have to keep watching.