Will Two Become One?
June 8, 2023
We’ve had a good thing going for the past six years: two live loon cams with dependable pairs that consistently begin nesting at different times. Loon cam 1 would get on the nest in late May and loon cam 2 would get started in mid-June. This gave us eight to ten weeks of non-stop action. But this year the loon world seems to have turned on its head.
The Cam 1 pair was on the lake when the live stream went public in early May. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they had up to three other loons as company. And so the territorial dispute(s) began. Reports from residents at the far end of the lake indicate that it was the female that was getting the heaviest competition from one or more the the intruders. At present, there continues to be a stand-off with occasional one-on-one fights. The pair is holding their own so far and they even get some personal time to inspect the nest raft. But that’s a far cry from their past standard that would have them near half way through incubation by now. It’s not to late for a successful nest; time will tell.
The Cam 2 pair were already mating before the live stream went public on June 2nd. Since then there have been about a dozen copulation events on the nest raft. We can expect an egg any time now. If it arrives before June 11th it will be the earliest on-the-nest date that we have for this territory. So, should loon cam 2 become loon cam 1 next year? That’s a question for our loon cam guru to ponder. One thing is certain: you’re living dangerously if you attempt to predict what the loons will do next.
