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Live Loon Cam

Loon Nest streaming from the Lakes Region of New Hampshire

 

Live broadcast from early May till mid-July

Updated July 23, 2022

News Headlines (scroll down for Biff’s Blog):

 

Looncam 2022

Welcome to LPC’s LoonCam Live 2022.  We broadcast live from a loon nest in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.  

LoonCam 1 was live May 2 to June 26.  Two chicks successfully hatched and swam to their brooding area.  Both are healthy as of July 20’th.  An unedited video of the last hour is posted at https://youtu.be/QABO25zCHBQ  

Looncam 2 was live June 21 to July 15.  Two chicks hatched and as of July 22, one remains.  

Live LoonCam 2 Highlights

 

Season Summary by Loon Cam Operator

 

During the LoonCam season, short clips of interesting activities around the loon nest are published on the LPC’s YouTube Channel.  It is a good way to catch up on what’s been going on.  This includes clips from both looncam 1 and 2 – sorted by most popular.  

2022 LoonCam Highlight Playlist (click to start)

 

Looncam 2 (2022 History)

  • July 22: Post nesting exam performed by LPC summer staff.  One chick is lost and the other is being raised by both parents in their summer brooding area.  
  • July 16: Parents and chicks continue to make occasional and brief appearances in view of the camera.  All look healthy.  
  • July 15: Both parents and 2 chicks leave the nesting area at 5:09AM.  YouTube stream is shut down around 5:10PM.
  • July 14: Female spends night on water with chicks.  Comes back to beside nest at dawn, waits for male, who arrives a hour or so later.  Several attempts to leave the area fail and male takes chicks back onto nest around 10AM.  
  • July 13: Male abandons first chick.  LPC rescues it after four hours and places it near the nest.  Male doesn’t return till next morning.
  • July 12: Pip on first egg noticed early morning.  Chick seen under wing around 4PM.  
  • July 3: Parents continue to share incubation duty.  No issues
  • June 25: Looncam 2 camera goes live shortly after looncam 1 finishes
  • June 17-18: Two eggs are laid (unwitnessed)

Looncam 1 (2022 History)

  • June 28: Loon watchers and LPC report loon parents and two chicks are doing well.  No fishing line on female, no injuries apparent on male.  One chick is diving and both are being fed.
  • June 25: Second egg hatched overnight.  Parents and two chicks swam off into the sunset after a day of drama.
  • June 24: First egg hatched at 7:16PM
  • May 30: The second egg was laid at 19:23:40.  
  • May 29-30: The first egg is rolled out of the nest bowl and lays on the side of the nest overnight until recovered the next morning by the other loon.  
  • May 29: The loons visited the nest twice overnight but appear to be leaving the single egg alone for a while, waiting for the second egg to appear.  LPC’s Blogger predicts that the hatch will be June 24’th, mid-morning.  We’ll see how accurate his is (hint: usually pretty good). 
  •  May 28: The first egg was laid at 5:05:45 this morning.  Both loons took turns incubating it during the day, leading us to wonder if there will only be one egg.  This pair has a 50% chance of only having one egg.  By evening, incubation had stopped.
  • 5/9  Daily brief visits from the loons.  Pair of geese have been spending time in the nest each day.  Hoping they don’t pick it as their nest before the loons are ready to take up residence. 
  • 5/2  Nest placed and camera started May 2.  Loons watched the installation and made several visits to the nest in the hours following.   

Featured Video – 2021 Loon Cam YouTube Play List

For best quality, set your YouTube resolution to 1080p and click the “live” button.  Click on the speaker within the video window to unmute the sound.  You can rewind the stream up to 12 hours with the red dot at the bottom of the YouTube stream.  To visit the chat room, go to YouTube directly in your browser or phone app.

2022 Loon Cam Biff’s Blog

Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .

July 15, 2022

Isn’t that the way with the Loon Cam 2 pair; they always have us on the edge of our seats. I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s start with the chicks. Chick 1 hatched in the afternoon of July 12, a day or two ahead of schedule but we only had a rough estimate of when the egg was laid. Chick 2 hatched in the early afternoon on the following day. Shortly after that, Dad lost #1 because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. #1 spent three hours imprinting on a buoy before the LPC biologists took pity on it, scarfed it up and delivered it back to the nest (but not before weighing it: 90 grams). At first, Mom seemed pleased to have #1 back in the nest. But soon #2 picked a fight with #1, who appeared to #2 to be a newcomer. It was the most evenly matched, knock down, drag out chick brawl I ever witnessed. Just before they were ready to resort to broken beer bottles they tumbled off the raft, each in a death grip of the other. That didn’t slow them down. Mom had to get in the water and break it up.

But let’s talk about Dad. He didn’t seem to be into the whole fatherhood thing. He was happy to let Mom to all the chick sitting while he went gallivanting off to do whatever. And when Mom wanted to to take a break, he just sat there with a confused look on his face. When Mom and the chicks were ready to go, he just took off without them. Chatters on the Loon Cam began suggesting that we had a deadbeat dad on our hands. The final straw was when Dad caught a minnow, showed it to the chicks and then ate it himself. That got him off everyone’s Christmas Card list.

Turns out Dad had a reason to be preoccupied. Unknown to us, there was an interloper on the territory who wanted Dad out of the picture. There were really no hints about that until it culminated in a battle for the territory in the early afternoon of the 14th. Watch it; it’s impressive. The family made numerous attempts to get the chicks toward the brooding area but it wasn’t until this morning that it appears they made any headway. Locals have reported that the family is in the next cove and still intact, although also still on guard. I have high hopes for them. Dad may be an airhead but he’s a hell of a fighter.

July 15, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-07-15 17:17:192022-07-15 17:17:19Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

A More Precise Record of Nest Duties

July 12, 2022

Eagle Kepr, one of our regular chatters on the Loon Cam, has been keeping a detailed record of nest sitting times, starting on July 1. It is posted online as an annotated spread sheet. It provides a great example of how the nest sitting is divvied up between the male and female, especially during the last week or so of incubation. I’ve used the data to create a graphic plot for those who prefer a visual aid over hard numbers. Pink is the female, blue is the male. You can see that Mom does all the nighttime sitting and at this late point in incubation she is covering two thirds of the nest duties.

July 12, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-07-12 11:33:552022-07-12 11:33:55A More Precise Record of Nest Duties
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Duties

July 10, 2022

Newcomers to the Loon Cam chat often ask or assume that the female is incubating the eggs in the nest. But, as long-time watchers can attest, the male and female share the nest sitting duties. The schedule for sharing duties varies between pairs of mated loons. Some switch off every three or four hours while others will go for twelve hour shifts or longer. There have been a few studies on nest sitting and they tend to agree on two points. The female is more likely to be on the nest during the night time and the female tends to increase her time on the nest as it gets closer to hatch time.

This pair is following the textbook very well. Mom is doing all the nighttime sitting and by now she is averaging about 15-16 hours per day. Expected hatch is only about 4 or 5 days away. But when it comes to hatch time, neither of the pair seems to feel any obligation to stay on the nest to greet the new chick. Even if the chick is well into breaking out of the shell, if the mate shows up and is willing to take over, the sitting loon will relinquish its seat. Perhaps they realize that it’s their last chance to take a swim alone, without the responsibility of feeding and protecting their offspring.

July 10, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-07-10 09:18:012022-07-10 09:18:01Nest Duties
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: The Territory

July 3, 2022

Now that the drama of Loon Cam 1 is over (and jubilantly successful), we turn our attention to the Cam 2 pair. Although the situation appears rather tame compared to Cam 1, The history of the Cam 2 territory is rife with upheaval.

The earliest record of loon occupation on this territory is 1987, although this may be because the pair moved the nest to a different island and it was assigned as a new territory. But there has never been a year when both islands had nests and the brooding area is believed to be the same for both territories. There were two years of successful nesting on the new island before development pressure and the raccoons that are attracted by the food opportunity of developed areas caused successive years of nest failures.

In 1992 LPC decided to install a raft. The challenge was where to put it and the chosen location was a compromise. This small cove was the only spot away from the boat traffic and the densely packed shoreline camps. The down side was that the nest was separated from the brooding area by a small cove of loon anarchy, given various names by LPC biologists such as “The DMZ” and “The Crossroads.” It all has to do with the geography of the lake, which in this area consists of densely packed, interconnected coves with numerous loon territories.

It is a challenging territory in which to successfully hatch and raise chicks, or even to just hold onto. In the past twenty years, there have been six times that total chaos has prevented nesting (one lasting for two years) and LPC couldn’t even identify a resident pair; just a number of loons harassing each other. Of the thirteen years with a resident pair, we know of at least five males and three females that held the territory during that time.

Despite the turbulent environment, in those twenty years the loons have managed to hatch 15 chicks, ten of which survived to the end of the season. So we have a 75% chance of a successful hatch and a 50% chance of a surviving chick. That’s pretty close to the statewide average.

July 3, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-07-03 12:09:162022-07-03 12:09:16Loon Cam 2: The Territory
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

An Incredibly Weird Event

June 25, 2022

Today dawned as a typical hatch day. Around 7 am the second chick hatched and we had a great view of Mom, and then Dad, nest sitting while the chicks peeped and had their first wobbly experience outside of an egg. Around noon the parents decided it was time that they all be real loons, get in the water and head for the brooding area. Chick #2 refused to go. Not unheard of and no big deal to the loons. Dad took #1 out for a paddle while Mom stayed on the nest with #2. Right about 1 pm Mom convinced #2 to join the others. They got in the water, gave a call, and then Dad and #1 began swimming back toward them.

Then it got weird. When Dad and #1 were still off camera and about 50 feet from Mom and #2, Dad let out some hideous sounds and began splashing in the water. When the camera turned we could see him beating his wings against the water and straining as if he were trying to release himself from something under the water. He also began moving away from #2 and the others, so #2 swam toward Mom and away from the commotion. Dad’s contortions went on for a couple of minutes. Three people reported seeing a large turtle head beneath him at one point. Shortly after that it appeared that Dad had shaken off whatever grabbed him and he swam further away, only to begin his bizarre behavior all over again. He worked his way to the middle of the lake, his efforts seemed to slow down as if he were wearing out, he dropped lower into the water, went under once, twice, three times, and then he sank out of sight.

Fifteen minutes later, still no Dad in sight. Mom looked confused and horrified, floating in the water with two chicks circling her. She didn’t change her expression or move more than twenty feet for an hour. During this time I was reviewing the video and trying to make sense out of it all. All the signs I saw pointed to an attack from under water. The only aquatic critter in the lake that could hold down a loon from swimming away would be a large snapping turtle. Why didn’t Dad come back after it was all over? It’s not like a loon to abandon its chicks on their first swim unless something was totally wrong. The only logical answer I could see was that Dad couldn’t come back and possibly wouldn’t be coming back and prematurely stated my fears to the chatters.

A little after two there was a wail in the distance. Mom answered back. At 2:25 pm Dad showed up, certainly weary and worse for wear, but intact, much to the relief of us all. A few chatters suggested that Dad had performed a distraction display but I don’t buy it. First, the only distraction display that loons are known for is the penguin dance. There is no wing beating in a penguin dance; it’s all in the feet that they use to kick up the water and rise up and puff their chest out to look menacing. Dad wasn’t being menacing; he was being frantic. But on the other hand, if a snapper had wraped it’s powerful mouth around the loons legs or feet the loon would surely be maimed after all that struggling. Perhaps Dad saw the snapper going for for the chick and he was trying to protect the chick and came up with this wing slap method, continuing to push/chase the snapper away from his family. That seems to have the best chance.

But more weirdness: When Dad got back both he and Mom continued to be animated and stressed out. An hour and a half wasn’t enough time to cool down? Something continued to bother them and that something was likely to keep Dad away for so long. But What? That’s the question. And then Dad took the chicks back to the nest, where they still are at 6:30 pm. Chatters think that #2 needs more time to dry out but I suspect that Dad needs the break more than the chicks do. It’s all kinda weird.

June 25, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-25 18:23:312022-06-25 18:23:31An Incredibly Weird Event
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

We Have a Chick!

June 24, 2022

Is a chick sitting in half an eggshell hatched? In my book it is. And those constantly watching since the first pip at midnight 19 hours ago are likely to agree. Chick number one hatched at 7:00 pm this evening. Maybe earlier, but that was when Mom got real antsy and kept adjusting her left wing. Ten minutes later she lifted it high enough to reveal Junior sitting upright in his calcium cradle. Or hers; darned if we can tell the difference. LPC is proud of these parents. They are reliable brooders and we feel privileged to assist them by providing a nesting raft. Here’s hoping #2 hatches just as healthy and just as boisterous. This chick can sing! Nonstop.

June 24, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-24 19:42:412022-06-24 19:42:41We Have a Chick!
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Our Ever-vigilant Pair

June 19, 2022

This season has certainly shown us that there is intense competition between loons for the best breeding habitat. It seems to be a daily occurrence that our pair has to deal with intruders, sometimes as many as four or five at a time. A territorial pair must be constantly alert and know what’s happening within and beyond their territory. Exactly how they do it, how well they do it, and which senses they depend on for monitoring their territory have received very little study or discussion. Perhaps starting with the little bit we know about loons and throwing in some anecdotal evidence will shed some light.

It has been established that loons have high visual and auditory acuity. These are the two senses that are certainly most useful. Because loons are aquatic, they also benefit from the fact that water transmits sound five times better than air does, so they can increase their hearing by submerging their head. Loons also have a functioning olfactory bulb, above average in size compared to 107 other sampled bird species. So we can’t rule out the possibility that loons can smell each other, but it has yet to be positively demonstrated. Even if it were true, it wouldn’t be of much use other than at very close range, when the loon could already see and hear the intruder.

So, if they are using their hearing and vision, at what distance can they sense an intruding loon or other threat? I can recount two experiences that can shed some light on the question. On the first, I was monitoring a female with two chicks when the male showed up. The pair were exchanging pleasantries when suddenly the male turned toward the far end of the bay in a head up alert posture, gave a tremolo and then dove and swam in that direction. The female immediately stashed the chicks in a safe location and swam off to join him. I scanned the far end of the bay with my binoculars and could just barely make out a black dot floating in the water. Within a minute two more black dots appeared and a heated physical exchange ensued. The distance between the intruder and where the male was when he first sensed it was at least a half mile. That means that out in the open water, a loon might be able to sense another loon anywhere in a 500 acre circle.

The second instance started in a similar manner but this time the male didn’t swim off. He stayed within a hundred feet of the female and chicks, stared in one direction and let loose with some tremolos. At first I and the other biologist with me couldn’t figure what got the male all riled up. But, by the time the male switched to yodels and the female took over the tremolo, we recognized a paddleboarder headed in our direction. The loons didn’t take kindly to this newfangled sport. They gave him a royal tongue lashing as he passed. Again, the threat was perceived when it was still a half mile away. Although in this case a human standing on water is much more prominent than a loon. I think the take-away is that in many cases the loons know exactly what is going on in their entire territory. And then some.

June 19, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-19 07:17:532022-06-19 07:17:53Our Ever-vigilant Pair
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Six Loons on One Territory?

June 12, 2022

Beware the cost of success; it brings notoriety. Notoriety brings envy and jealousy. Others want what you have. As I’ve written before, loons keep tabs on each other and they know who’s living the good life. Our pair has certainly been suffering the curse of notoriety lately. This clip, and this clip, show recent examples of our pair dealing with intruders.

But yesterday morning while Dad was on the nest he noticed something very concerning and went into a head-down defensive posture. It took quite a bit of scanning the lake but we finally saw five loons swimming and diving at the far end of the cove. Was Mom one of the five? Or was she laying low and monitoring the five? We’ll probably never know.

Five visitors on one territory during nesting is a bit much. Later in the season, after the chicks have hatched, five, ten or even twenty congregating loons is a common occurrence. Occasionally there might be a chick or two included in the group. It’s been suggested that loon parents bring chicks into another loon pair’s territory to fool visitors into thinking that the chicks are a product of that territory. Sneaky little buggers!

But how about a resident triad? On two occasions during my years of monitoring loons I’ve recorded three loons living in toleration of – and even in cooperation with – each other for the better part of the season. In each case I was able to identify a pair. Apparently the third loon moved in and couldn’t take over the territory but the pair was unable to drive the third loon out. That was enough to prevent nesting and the loons managed to live together in a form of detente. On one lake I found all three napping together within 20 feet of each other. On the other lake I witnessed the three loons cooperatively chase a fourth loon off the lake and then celebrate together. Three loons hurling insults at a fleeing visitor was a sight and sound to behold.

No matter how well you think you know loons, they’ll always come up with a new surprise.

June 13, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-13 06:13:062022-06-13 08:10:33Six Loons on One Territory?
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Best Guess Hatch Dates

June 6, 2022

Some Blog readers may remember my 2021 “Biff’s Scientific Hatch Time Predictions” blog, where I did some statistical voodoo and predicted the hatch dates based on Loon Cam records. If I recall correctly, I was pretty close. That makes the process a little easier this year. The time between the eggs being laid is the same as last year, as well as the greater than average time the first egg got incubated before the second egg was laid. This loon pair shows considerable consistency. Let’s hope the eggs can also follow the game plan. This is what I’m going with:

Egg 1 hatch: Friday, June 24 at 1:30 PM

Egg 2 hatch: Sunday, June 26 at 3:00 AM

June 6, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-06 06:54:542022-06-06 06:54:54Best Guess Hatch Dates
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Intruding Loons

June 4, 2022

The loon cam has recently been catching a few visits from intruding loons in the resident pair’s territory. One clip shows a single intruder nonchalantly swimming right between Mom and Dad. Dad (furthest away) raises up a bit, showing more white on his breast and and begins to swim toward the intruder. That was all it took to send the visitor wing rowing out of the frame and presumably flying off the lake. Mom, all this time, has a squared off forehead (akin to a dog raising its hackles) until at the very end when she decides there is no longer any threat.

The second clip shows a circle dance. Two intruders and one of the pair meet within range of the camera. The three approach each other, begin slowly swimming in a tight circle, and size each other up. The situation is tense so they each do a lot of peering (sticking their entire head under water) to guard against an underwater attack from any other loon that might be in the area. When one of them dives, they all dive. This for their safety and also it is an opportunity for them to assess their opponent’s defensive swimming skills. During the month of May you might see two loons doing a circle dance. But watch carefully. If the two are not pointing their bills at each other and if they are “dipping” (dipping only their bills and not peering) and doing synchronous diving, you are watching a courtship dance. These are not contestants; these are a pair taking their vows. And, yes, as far as I know loons renew their vows every spring, but it would be a difficult hypothesis to test. There may be some who don’t want to sign a prenuptial agreement.

But lets get back on track and ask the BIG question: why are there so many intruding visitors in this territory? Loons are social animals. The pair stays together all season, working cooperatively to do the daily chores and feed the chicks, but they also take a great interest in what other loons in their neighborhood are up to (see my May 24 post: The Territory). The territory of this pair is the entire lake so it’s not impossible for a visitor to safely land undetected, which would give it a bit of advantage in snooping around. And even more important, this pair’s home is in the middle of the Lakes District; it’s sort of a single home in the middle of a megalopolis. There is at least a dozen of other occupied loon territories within five minutes flying time, as well as a number of unpaired loons skulking about. They all want to know what’s happening here, just as this pair may individually take off to visit other lakes. Remember the female on the Loon Cam a few years ago? She left the lake for two days and left Dad to deal with the hatchlings. It’s all part of a loon’s life. It makes interesting viewing and with these two veteran parents it’s a minimal risk.

June 4, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-06-04 12:29:372022-06-04 12:29:37Intruding Loons
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Mama Loon’s Bad Day

May 31, 2022

We can blame it on the new moon. It was pitch black in the dead of night; Mama couldn’t see past her nares. All she wanted to do was turn the egg a bit so she could get more comfortable. She knew she had messed up when she plopped down and found herself sliding down the exterior slope of the nest, egg in tow. What followed was three hours of confused and horrified desperation. She came so close to getting the egg back in the bowl but just couldn’t manage the last few inches. She cried for help but only got a string of distant yodels in return. Cheeky chatters theorized that hubby was hanging out with the boys at the Sand Bar. A forlorn Mama eventually left the nest area.

Eggs being knocked out of the nest or otherwise misplaced is probably more common than you would think. Over the years, the loon cam has recorded this happening two other times, as well as one egg being broke and removed from the nest by the loons. Loons are built to be in the water and are very awkward when on land. This is one reason you should never approach a nesting loon. If you flush it off the nest there’s a good chance it will either kick the egg out the back or drag it out the front.

Along about 4 am, with the first faint rays of morning twilight, Dad showed up from his all-night carousing. With no Mrs. around, he climbed up on the raft and saw the egg on the wrong side of the rim of the bowl. No problem; He gave it nudge and, voila, back in the bowl. He then promptly lost balance and slid down the slope into the predator guard. Dad really needs to cut down on his all-nighters at the Sand Bar. He climbed back up and sat on the egg for while before remembering he had an early appointment and took off. Shortly later Mama came back, looked at the raft, couldn’t see the egg in the bowl, circled the raft a half dozen times and swam away, still in despair. It wasn’t until 10 am that she finally realized the egg was back in the nest.

Oh, and by the way, that evening Mama laid her second egg at 7:23. Sitting on two eggs and watching the sun set over a mirror-calm lake, Mama figured life isn’t all bad.

You can watch the low-lights of Mama’s bad day here. And the highlight here.

May 31, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-31 09:36:022022-05-31 09:36:02Mama Loon’s Bad Day
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Breaking News: Waterfowl Motel Closed

May 28, 2022

At around 9 pm last night there was an altercation between motel guests. The wood ducks, who were the first to check in, were accosted by the newly arrived geese. Although heavily outweighed, Mama Duck showed an incredible tenacity and managed to wear out the geese and sent them scurrying for alternative accommodations.

Motel management showed up at 11:29 pm and evicted all tenants. When interviewed, Mr Loon, co-owner of the motel, said “Enough is enough! We’ve had guests trashing the place on a nightly basis and this brawl is the final straw.” He added that now, with avian malaria becoming a health issue, none of the guests were willing to wear a mask. Or a diaper. “I’m not risking my life for a bunch of hoodlums!”

At 5:05 this morning Mrs. Loon deposited an egg in the nest; a decisive sign that the motel is not accepting guests. It’s sort of a shame. With the tourist season just getting started shore-front accommodations are at a premium.

May 28, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-28 09:48:122022-05-28 09:48:12Breaking News: Waterfowl Motel Closed
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waterfowl Motel

May 27, 2022

I’ve already mentioned the various nest raft visitors we frequently see but this year the raft has been exceptionally busy. The local goose pair uses the raft every night, sometimes staying as long as six hours. But last night we set a record for occupancy: the two geese, mama wood duck and her three chicks. The ducks were on for eight and a half hours, 8:19 pm to 4:48 am. Now that’s a good night’s sleep, although the geese woke them up when they moved in at 11:41 pm. Here we see Mrs. Goose and Mama Duck exchanging pleasantries.

We’re having trouble hiring chamber maids. Those geese leave an awful mess!

May 27, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-27 17:31:562022-05-27 17:31:56Waterfowl Motel
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

The Territory

May 24, 2022

I’ve used the term “territory” a number of times in these blogs. Perhaps I ought to define the term as it is used in wildlife ecology and discuss its implications. It often gets confused with “home range.” A home range is the total area that an individual uses on a regular basis, which can vary by season. A territory is the area an individual (or pair, in this case) will defend from intruders, particularly those of the same species (conspecific territoriality). When a loon pair is on the breeding lake their territory is their entire home range, with possible exceptions late in the season.

Loon territories in New Hampshire can be as small as 20 acres. On large lakes with many loon pairs close together their territories average around 40 acres. On smaller lakes that can only support one loon pair, the loons will typically consider the entire lake as their territory.

Our Loon Cam lake is under 100 acres and can only support one loon pair. Consequently, any visiting loon will be considered as a threat to the pair. Early yesterday there was a visiting loon on the lake. There was a lot of vocalization, including tremolos, and it was seen near the nest raft on one occasion. It may have been a lone loon looking for a territory to take over. It’s estimated that there are 100 or more single loons without territories in New Hampshire. Or it might be more likely that it was a curious loon from a nearby territory just scoping out the pond. This lake is in the heart of the Lakes Region and there are dozens of loons that could pop in by just flying a few minutes. Loons like to keep tabs on their neighbors. It’s always good to know your prospects in case you happen to lose your territory.

The short-lived and low-key confrontation between the loons makes me think it was just a nosy neighbor and not a loon looking to push one of our pair off the territory. Things rapidly returned to normal, and apparently without anyone getting a thrashing. Our pair is back to preparing for nesting. Any day now.

May 24, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-24 11:45:092022-05-24 11:45:09The Territory
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest choices: Where and When?

May 22, 2022

Choosing a territory is one of the most important decisions a loon needs to make. The “perfect” territory will have good water clarity, plenty of prey for both adults and chicks, is easily defensible from other loons, and has at least one good nest site.

In choosing a nest site, the loons are looking for a spot that is protected from terrestrial predators as well as wind and wave action. The more foliage the better, because it helps hide the nest from avian predators and nosy humans. The location that best fits the bill is the lee side of a tiny island in a sheltered cove. But there are not enough tiny islands in sheltered coves to accommodate all the loon pairs so they have to make do with what is available.

But who makes the choice? If you have the good fortune to watch a pair of loons nest site shopping in the spring, the soft vocalizations and head bobbing make it appear that it is a joint decision, made only after a long discussion and agreement between the two. But Walter Piper, a friend and colleague of LPC, has another idea. Walter reviewed the records of mate swaps and nest location changes on numerous loon territories in Wisconsin and found that nest site locations change much more frequently when there was a new male as opposed to a new female. (This is a bit of a simplification. Walter’s study was looking at the “win—stay, lose—switch rule”, but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog.) This is strong evidence that males choose the nest site. What it means for the loons is that it’s to the male’s advantage to keep a territory with which he is familiar; it’s to the female’s advantage to get on a territory that’s been held by one male for a long time.

And who chooses when to start nesting? This is a little more complicated. Sometimes it may not be the pair that makes the choice. If there is interference from other loons the pair may have to forego nesting until they can secure their territory. But when the territory is secure and the nest site is chosen, it’s up to the female; if not rationally, at least physiologically. One thing we know for sure, isotope analysis has shown that the eggshell and contents are from the lake, and not from the ocean, where the loon was before flying to the lake. So the female has to consume enough nutrients to replenish what was spent during the migration, to maintain good health, and then to produce two large eggs – about two thirds of a pound. Any nest initiation in May is earlier than average, which in New Hampshire is around the first week in June. This pair are pretty reliable late May nesters so we are expecting them to be on the nest any day now.

May 22, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-22 12:14:272022-05-22 12:14:27Nest choices: Where and When?
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Raft Visitors

May 18, 2022

While the loons are settling in to their summer home and before they initiate nesting, now is a good time to enjoy the vast array of neighborhood wildlife likely to show up on the loon cam. The most frequent visitor is the red-winged blackbird. There is a shrubby marshland behind the camera, which is the preferred habitat of this bird. The resident male uses the raft as a perch for singing his “conk-a-ree” song, declaring territorial rights. You can also hear the “check” calls that both sexes make.

The painted turtle is the most common turtle in New Hampshire and you are likely to see as many as a half-dozen sunning themselves on the nearby rocks, as well as on the raft. They will continue to use the raft when the loons are nesting, well out on the edge of the corners in case the nesting loon decides visiting hours are over. The loons are much less tolerant of the snapping turtles, which will occasionally approach the raft. Despite their pugnacious attitude, the snappers pose little threat to the adult loons.

The most frequent nighttime visitor is the muskrat. These semi-aquatic rodents forage for food in the water but they need a dry place for eating. They build eating platforms out of mud and vegetation but they will use any available ready-made platform. Unoccupied nesting rafts make great eating platforms and the muskrats have been known to chew an access hole through the bottom of the raft so they can be more inconspicuous as they come and go. LPC now wraps the raft bottoms in a steel mesh to thwart the muskrat’s penchant for remodeling.

There is a resident osprey pair on this lake and some lucky viewers have witnessed an osprey scooping up a fish and flying off with it. Other visitors include great blue herons, kingfishers, otters, and various waterfowl. The loons will be nesting soon but there is much to see while we wait.

May 18, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-18 09:49:462022-05-18 09:49:46Nest Raft Visitors
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2022

Those Darn Geese

May 11, 2022

A topic receiving much attention on the Loon Cam is the pair of geese visiting the nest raft on a regular basis. They appear to have much more interest in it than the loon pair has. Geese have been known to nest on LPC nest rafts, although it is a very rare occurrence.

Because geese tend to nest a few weeks earlier than loons, they have an advantage in choosing nest sites. The incubation and nest brooding times for the geese are almost identical to those of the loons: 28 days for incubation and the chicks leave the nest in one or two days. So if the geese begin nesting on the raft in the next few days, then the raft would be unavailable to the loons until mid June. If this happens, the loons might wait, they might choose to nest elsewhere, or they might not nest this year. These possibilities are always present, whether or not the geese usurp the raft.

LPC would prefer to have loons nesting on the raft but we don’t own the lake and we can’t dictate the behavior of the wildlife residents on the lake. But we can take comfort in knowing that the goose and loon populations have both been increasing over the past few decades. Nature seeks a balance, and the loons fit comfortably in the balance.

May 11, 2022/by Biff Conrod
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png 0 0 Biff Conrod https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png Biff Conrod2022-05-11 09:59:532022-05-11 09:59:53Those Darn Geese
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Since 2014, LPC has streamed live footage of nesting loons to the public. Viewers are able to witness the entire nesting process, including nest site selection, egg laying, incubation, and (in most years) the hatching of chicks. Much of the time, once the eggs arrive, the scene is the same: a loon sitting in a nest.  Occasionally (often several times per hour) the loon will move around or stand up and turn the eggs.  The male and female loons take turns incubating, and nest exchanges happen several times each day and can last minutes or much longer.  Sometimes, the loons communicate quietly with each other, and they will occasionally will show agitation when the sitting loon isn’t ready to leave the nest.  Watching a hatch and the chick learning to swim are must see events.  While the loons on our webcam have historically experienced high levels of nesting success, this is not always the case.  We can’t control nature, and nesting loons face many challenges.  We have witnessed eggs and chicks lost due to predation, sibling rivalry and water level changes. Nothing is guaranteed.  The loon cam can be fascinating to watch and to some, addictive.

Sound is included in the stream, letting us listen in on quiet conversations between the pair.  Current LPC biologists, former LPC biologists, and our Loon Cam operator will periodically post to our looncam blog. The blog can be found at the bottom of this page this page,  and entries provide insight, and perspective.  Because camera technology sufficient to continuously monitor loon nests is a relatively new development, footage captured by the loon cam might raise new questions about loon behavior. Our bloggers strive to provide insight or hypotheses into these questions.

Along with the streaming broadcast, the YouTube chat window is often open for loon lovers to chat about what they are seeing.  LPC biologists will occasionally join the chat for Q&A sessions.

The live stream has a replay feature and viewers are able to rewind up to 12 hours to watch an egg turning, nest exchange, or other interesting events.  LPC maintains a video archive, so if you miss an event of interest, we may be able to go back and make a clip of it. Over the years, well over 100 video clips have been saved.  Many are available on LPC’s YouTube channel.

Please visit  LPC’s YouTube Channel.to see the video clip archive.  Watch a chick returning to a nest and much more.  LPC has a large collection of recorded loon nesting activity.

YouTube Chatting Policy

LPC loon cams broadcasts use the YouTube chat feature so that viewers who subscribe to LPC’s YouTube channel can interact with each other, educate each other, and notify each other when events that have occurred, like egg turns, nest exchanges or a visit by the big turtle. In order for LPC to keep the chat open as a family friendly site, dialog should remain on topic and civil. We’ve learned from previous years that requiring chat posters to be subscribers cuts down on spam-bots and moderation is occasionally needed.  If chatter goes too far off topic or becomes hostile, a moderator will take action by interjecting, removing comments, blocking users and temporarily shutting down the chat. If you need to alert the operator to policy violations, please send email to looncam@loon.org

Please help us keep the chat open by following these guidelines:

  • To post, subscribe to the LPC channel.  YouTube may also require you to create your own YouTube channel (a quick task).
  • When posting, consider that there may be dozens of people reading your post.
  • Contribute questions and comments that are on topic and family friendly.  Don’t worry about asking about something that has come up before.  Many viewers are stopping by for the first time.  The LPC staff is happy to answer questions, and regular chatters are often willing to offer their opinions, insight and opinions.  
  • Be nice to each other and especially welcoming to first time chatters. We want the chat room to be a friendly place for nature lovers to communicate with each other about loons.  There is no room in the chat for aggressive (or passive aggressive) comments towards other chatters. Comments that LPC staff believe to violate this rule may be deleted, and repeat offenders may be temporarily or permanently banned from the chat room.
  • People are welcome to say hello when they first join a chat session but others should limit the cascaded acknowledgements of “hellos”, “good byes”, “thank yous” and  “how are yous” especially during times when there are more than just a few viewers.  Too much chatter makes it hard for other viewers to find information about loons in the chat stream.  Please help keep the signal to noise ratio more signal, less noise.
  • Suggestions, complaints, concerns and requests to be unbanned should be emailed to the loon cam operator at looncam@loon.org

The Nesting Pair

Loon Cam FAQ

Camera Info

Loon Cam News

Nesting PairLooncam FAQCamera InfoPrevious Year Looncam Blogs
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The Loon Cam 1 Nesting Pair 

The members of the regular pair on this lake were both originally banded in 2013. Because they were banded as adults and loons do not reach adulthood until age three, we know that they are, at minimum, 11 years old; however, because they were banded after hatching chicks and the average loon does not hatch a chick until ~6 years of age, it is likely that these loons are 14 years old or older.

The male loon’s left leg band combination is white stripe (white background with a horizontal black stripe through the middle) over orange. His right leg band combination is silver over blue stripe (blue with a horizontal white stripe through the middle).

The female loon is only banded on her right leg, which has an orange band over a silver band. The reason that she is not banded on her left leg is because she is tiny! When our banding crew caught her in 2013, they did not have small enough bands on hand to fit her left leg.

This loon pair has been together every year since they were originally banded in 2013. In that time, they have hatched 8 chicks, 6 of which have survived to the end of the summer. We hope that they will add to that number this year, and we’re excited to watch along with you as they nest!

To be alerted when a hatch is underway subscribe to the free LPC newsletter.

Loon Cam 1 FAQ

When will the eggs hatch?
The loon pair at the 2022 site typically laid an egg on May 28’th.  Incubation takes 28 days.  The pair only performed light incubation for a few days, waiting for a second egg.  The hatch should happen sometime around June 25, give or take a few days. 

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 on the side of the nest. It is muffled to avoid picking up people talking and there may be occasions where it is 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 streaming archive/retrieval 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 few days.  Give us the date, start and end times of interest.  

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?
The looncam is located 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.  If you know the location, please help us keep it secret.

Can I donate to the operation of the loon cam?
Yes! Please use the donate page on this web site.  Donations over the past few years have funded four 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 the loon cams.  The stream starts early May and runs into mid July if two cams are used.  Your donations help make it possible to provide a high quality stream.

Can I control the view?
The camera view is mostly static but may be programmed to periodically rotate through a sequence of preset scenes.  At times, one of the volunteer “zoomies” may take control of the camera and change the scene or follow interesting events, like a heron feeding along the shoreline.  If you want a specific view, send an email to looncam@loon.org or mention your request in the YouTube chat room.  If a “Zoomie”, 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. You must be a subscriber to the LPC YouTube channel to post in chat but anyone can view it.  The LPC staff or loon cam operator (LCO) 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?is_popout=1&v=H0TtwOgcGd0

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, especially wild and crazy Friday and Saturday nights, the microphone may be muted.

Why is the picture jerky or fuzzy? 
Sometimes video jitter is the fault of the our equipment or our internet provider.  When there is a lot of movement, like wind on the water, the camera is overworked or we run out of upload internet capacity.  We broadcast in 1080p resolution and strive for 15-20 frames/second.  If you think the problem may be on your end, adjust the resolution on your YouTube page, using the gear in the lower right under the picture.  A high resolution (1080p) will reduce fuzziness.  If you are on a slow network, reduce the resolution to lower your bandwidth consumption.  

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

Camera Information for Loon Cam 1 

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 the shoreline, where the cable internet connection is located.  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 and by Axis Cameras and CamStreamer software.  Please donate to the LPC, who makes sure the looncam continues to operate.

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). Several volunteer zoomies also steer the camera.  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 a property owner that allows our equipment and internet circuit to rest on their shore and the tollerance of the pond community.  

2019-2020
All/Loon Cam 2019/Loon Cam 2020
July 11, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

One More Healthy Chick

July 8, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Do We Have a Pip?

July 3, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Correcting Some Misconceptions

June 30, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Hatch Time Draws Near

June 24, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Loon Cam 2 Pair and Territory

July 14, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

The Saga Continues

July 14, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

What Have We Learned?

July 12, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

Our Last Hope has Hatched!

July 11, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

Getting Airborne: Why Loons Don’t Visit Your Birdbath

July 11, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

The Hatch has Begun!

July 11, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

One More Healthy Chick

July 8, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Do We Have a Pip?

July 3, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Correcting Some Misconceptions

June 30, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Hatch Time Draws Near

June 24, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Loon Cam 2 Pair and Territory

Loon Cam News By Year
All/Loon Cam 2016/Loon Cam 2017/Loon Cam 2018/Loon Cam 2019/Loon Cam 2020/Loon Cam 2021
June 27, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: A Checkered Past

June 22, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

Two Chicks in the Water!

June 21, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

There’s a Chick in the Nest!

June 18, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

The Pip Watch is On!

June 15, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

An Otter Visits the Raft

July 11, 2016InLoon Cam 2016

Watching the Grass Grow

June 20, 2016InLoon Cam 2016

Still Sticking…..

June 16, 2016InLoon Cam 2016

Sticking to a Nest

June 13, 2016InLoon Cam 2016

Day 30

June 4, 2016InLoon Cam 2016

The Home Stretch

July 27, 2017InLoon Cam 2017

The Final Egg Knocked Out of Nest

July 20, 2017InLoon Cam 2017

Crushed Egg

July 17, 2017InLoon Cam 2017

Possible Reasons for Inviable Eggs

July 16, 2017InLoon Cam 2017

Over-Incubation

July 12, 2017InLoon Cam 2017

Evening Loon Concert

July 23, 2018InLoon Cam 2018

A Very Successful Nesting Season

July 23, 2018InLoon Cam 2018

A quick update…

July 21, 2018InLoon Cam 2018

First Chick Hatched!

July 18, 2018InLoon Cam 2018

When Will the Eggs Hatch?

July 15, 2018InLoon Cam 2018

The Flower Garden

July 14, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

The Saga Continues

July 14, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

What Have We Learned?

July 12, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

Our Last Hope has Hatched!

July 11, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

Getting Airborne: Why Loons Don’t Visit Your Birdbath

July 11, 2019InLoon Cam 2019

The Hatch has Begun!

July 11, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

One More Healthy Chick

July 8, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Do We Have a Pip?

July 3, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Correcting Some Misconceptions

June 30, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Hatch Time Draws Near

June 24, 2020InLoon Cam 2020, Looncam

Loon Cam 2 Pair and Territory

June 27, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: A Checkered Past

June 22, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

Two Chicks in the Water!

June 21, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

There’s a Chick in the Nest!

June 18, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

The Pip Watch is On!

June 15, 2021InLoon Cam 2021, Looncam

An Otter Visits the Raft

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.

To be alerted when a hatch is underway subscribe to the free LPC newsletter.

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 was laid about 430PM Thursday, June 11’th. ‘The second egg arrived at 7:30AM on Sunday, June 14’th. Since incubation takes 28 days (give or take a few), the hatch is expected sometime around July 8-11’th.

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

What We Do

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(603) 476-5666
183 Lees Mill Rd
Moultonborough, NH 03254
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