The Nesting Pair of Loon Cam 2
In 2016, intruding loons interfered on this territory enough to cause a nest failure. Without a nest or chicks to defend, the bond deteriorated between the pair, which had been together on the territory since 2013. The rest of the 2016 season was chaos with no clear resident pair.
In 2017, the current male and female emerged as the new resident pair and immediately began nesting. They successfully hatched and raised a chick, which suggests that both of these loons probably had previous nesting experience on other territories. We know that the male did because he was banded in 2006 on a nearby territory on the same lake. We banded the female this same year (2017), so we don’t know her previous history.
The loons can be identified by its leg bands. The male’ left band is red over white, the right band is silver over red dot. The female’s left band is a white stripe over blue and the right bands are silver over yellow stripe.
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Camera Information for Loon Cam 2
The live video image on this page comes from a high-definition Axis video camera with pan-tilt-zoom features, a microphone and night-time infrared illumination. The camera is mounted on a post, about 30 feet from the nesting area. An Ethernet cable runs across the bottom of the pond to an island. The camera and associated equipment on the island is battery powered, recharged by solar panels. From the island, the video stream is sent 1/4 mile to shore by WiFi, and into an internet connection. The camera sends a video stream to YouTube, which supports hundreds of simultaneous viewers. A video stream archive lets us replay choice moments and publish them on the LPC YouTube Channel. The webcam is funded through donations to the Loon Preservation Committee’s LoonCam fund. Please click here to contribute to the operational costs.
Acknowledgements
Funding for the loon cam project is made possible by LPC’s Loon Recovery Plan and your donations. Technical design and loon cam operation is provided by LPC volunteer, Bill Gassman (www.linkedin.com/in/billgassman). Streaming and archiving services are provided by YouTube, Charter/Spectrum Communications, CamStreamer and AngelCam. The camera installation would not have been possible without the generous permission of several property owners.
Loon Cam FAQ Loon Cam 2
When will the eggs hatch?
The first egg is normally laid around June 10’th. Since incubation takes 28 days (give or take a few), the hatch should be expected sometime around July 8-11’th. Once the pair nests, we can predict more accurately.
How does the loon cam work?
The camera about 30 feet from the nest, on a wooden pole mounted in the water. An Ethernet cable supplies power and an internet connection to the camera, on shore. Sound comes from a microphone, mounted close to the nest. It is muffled to avoid picking up people talking and there may be occasions where it is set low or muted to protect the privacy of the neighbors. The video stream runs 24×7, over a business class internet service to YouTube Live. With this design, hundreds can view the video feed at the same time, and the stream is converted to match the viewer’s device and internet connection speed. We also employ a 7 day streaming archive service and can make a video clip of interesting events.
Can I see the archived videos?
The YouTube player is configured so that you can replay the most recent twelve hours of the video stream. This is useful if you missed watching a nest switch or egg turning. Edited video clips from the archive are occasionally published on the Loon Preservation Committee’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/LoonCenter. Let us know if you see something interesting that we’ve missed. The archive goes back a week.
Is there a Twitter hash tag to alert people to special events?
Yes. Our blogger, Biff, will continuing using Twitter again this year. To participate, follow the #LoonCam hashtag. We encourage viewers to send out a Tweet with #looncam in the text when something special happens. That will help us go back through the archives and publish a video clip of the events. Our Twitter name is @lpc_nh.
Where is the loon cam located?
It is in the lakes region of New Hampshire, home of LPC’s Moultonboro based Loon Center. For the privacy of the loons and the gracious people that allow placement of the loon cam, the exact location is unidentified.
Can I donate to the operation of the loon cam?
Yes! Please use the donation button here or on the loon cam page and choose the “Loon Cam” option to direct your donation. Donations over the past few years have funded two cameras, infrared lights, a solar power array and associated equipment to make the camera reliable. The primary cost remains the high-speed internet connection. This year, we estimate it will cost about $1000 to operate both loon cams 1 and 2. The stream starts around May 1 and runs into mid July. Your donations help make it possible.
Can I control the view?
The camera view is programmed to periodically rotate through a sequence of preset scenes. At times, the LPC staff may take control of the camera and change the scene or follow interesting events. If you want a specific view, send an email to looncam@loon.org or mention your request in the YouTube chat room. If a loon cam operator is on-duty, your request may be granted.
Can I make the picture bigger?
Yes, use the YouTube full-screen icon, which shows up when you touch or mouse-over the bottom of the picture. Be sure to select a high resolution, using the settings gear. We broadcast with a resolution of 1080p. You can also open up the stream on the YouTube web site, smart TV, or mobile application.
How can I participate in the chat room?
On the YouTube page or mobile app (but not on the LPC’s web page), there is a chat feature, where you can have a discussion with other Loon Cam Viewers. The LPC staff will chime in when they have a chance and not in the field. The direct access URL to chat is https://www.youtube.com/live_chat?v=UlA3pmsoNoI&is_popout=1
Can you turn the sound up? I can barely hear it.
The camera’s microphone is very sensitive and is set as low as possible. This provides some natural sounds while protecting people’s privacy. It is common to hear the loons quietly conversing. At times, the microphone will be muted.
Why is the picture jerky or fuzzy?
First, try setting the resolution to 1080p on your YouTube page, using the gear in the lower right under the picture. If you are on a slow or congested internet connection, YouTube reduces the resolution and the picture will be less sharp. The slow-down may also be on our end. When there is a lot of movement, like wind on the water, we can run out of upload bandwidth. We broadcast in 1080p resolution and strive for 15-20 frames/second.
Who do I contact if I have a problem or question?
For technical questions or problems with the looncam, send email to looncam@loon.org For other questions or concerns, contact volunteers@loon.org
It’s Not Too Late
May 23, 2023
So here we are, watching three to five loons chase each other around the lake as the end of the month nears. And we haven’t even gotten band readings to confirm that the resident pair is in the mix. I’m tempted to say that the competition is narrowing down to three loons. But I know better. Tomorrow there might be a half-dozen loons out there. There’s no telling if and when the loons will be ready to nest.
However, it’s way too early to start worrying. Statewide, most loon nests are initiated during the first two weeks in June. Recently, this territory has been known to start nesting in the last week in May. But that’s only been true starting in 2019. Before that, the current pair got on the nest around June 7, +/- 3 days. The latest known successful nest in this territory was initiated on June 15, 1992. But that was a second attempt. For first attempts, the latest nest initiation was on June 14, the following year (1993). Imagine the troubles that pair had to overcome!
Let’s hope for sooner than later, But, if need be, let’s not fret until we’re at least a week into June. In the past 48 years there have been only 4 years when there was no nesting attempt. So we have an eleven in twelve chance of seeing a nest this year.
Dad’s Distinctive Voice
May 19, 2023
I first noticed it last year, as did many of the regulars on chat. The Cam 1 male has his own peculiar accent. There is a hoarseness to it and he has trouble with the higher notes. His wails tend to be truncated and, when he yodels, the octave jump is a hurdle he can barely manage.
There is one glaringly likely reason for this speech impediment. When loons are fighting over a territory – and Dad has had plenty of one-on-one knock-down-dragouts in his life – a popular tactic is to grab your opponent’s neck with your bill and drag his head underwater. So I’m putting my money on an old war injury that didn’t completely heal.
But his injury doesn’t seem to affect him much, even though loons use inflection to judge an opponent’s demeanor and fitness (check out Jay Mager’s work on loon vocalizations). He has a number of tricks up his sleeve to let other loons know he means business, including some great body postures. He proved that last year when intruders showed up right at hatch time. The fact that both chicks hatched and survived to the end of the season is a testament to his fitness.
And for us, it’s a blessing. We can often identify him when he’s across the lake, with no chance of a band reading.
The Price of Success
May 10, 2023
Success breeds envy in onlookers. And envy can breed animosity and treachery. So it is with loons as well as humans. If you can consistently hatch two chicks year after year, less successful loons will know about it and they won’t be shy about attempting to take over your territory. Our pair has returned (at least we can assume that until we verify by band readings) and there’s been no shortage of visiting loons getting in their face.
This clip is a good example. One loon is chasing another loon while a third loon casually floats nearby and seems to pay little notice. As long as the loons have read the manual, we can partially ascertain the identity of at least one of the loons. The disinterested loon is one of the resident pair. The chaser and chase-ee are of the same sex. We can only hope that the resident is the chaser. At this point, before the pair has made a significant investment by laying eggs in the nest, an intruding loon is likely to only draw the ire of the resident of the same sex. The disinterested loon is not having its right to the territory challenged and may or may not care which of the other two prevails. After all, you want the most fit mate you can get. After eggs are laid, things can change. Both loons are likely to challenge any intruder. No one wants to lose their home equity.
Intruders have been showing up frequently, and often more than one at a time. It may take a while for the situation to stabilize but they have plenty of time. They usually nest around May 24 to 28.