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
Happy Ending
July 11, 2023
It was a successful hatch. Chick 1 emerged from its shell at 9:59 pm on July 8 and Chick 2 joined the fun around 3:30 pm on the 9th. At 17.5 hours, this was one of the shorter durations between hatches.
Much to our relief, Chick 2 was a feisty one and when the inevitable sibling brawl developed, #2 held its own. It took quite a beating but it kept fighting back. After a few minutes the chicks rolled off the raft in a mutual bear hug and thus was started the aquatic portion of the contest. Chick 1 won by a technical knockout when Chick 2 played dead by floating face down in the water. But by the time #1 climbed back on the raft to receive the gold medal #2 was attacking from behind and trying to drag #1 back in the water. And then #1 was doing the dragging. Mom intervened by inserting her bill between the two and forcing them to accept a truce.
Mom and Dad gave the chicks a couple of days near the nesting area to work things out to a mutual toleration. But the long stay also could have been due to neighboring loons standing between them and the brooding area (shades of last year’s siege). It’s likely that it was a combination of the two that made them stay near the nest. The chicks got to eat and practice their swimming skills, as well as learning to quickly climb up on their parents’ backs. Good skills to have when cruising through treacherous waters.
At 7:47 am today the family left the nesting area. A few minutes later we heard a short chorus of yodels and tremolos, an announcement of their territorial rights. Two strong and healthy chicks and two proud parents. You can’t do better than that!
Talking Eggs
July 5, 2023
So what does the title of this blog mean? Am I talking about eggs? Or am I saying that eggs can talk? A bit of both, actually.
We’re getting close to “pip watch” time. The pip is the first tiny hole in the egg, made by the chick as it begins pecking its way out of the shell. You can look for the pip when the adults are getting off and on the nest and when they are doing egg rolls. You need to see the blunt end of the egg; that’s where the pip first forms. I would expect to see the first pip on Friday or Saturday. But I’ve been wrong before so it’s worth keeping an eye on the eggs before then.
But before we see a pip, we are apt to hear muffled peeps coming from the chick inside the egg. That and the reactions of the adult sensing movement are apt to be the first signs that a hatch is imminent.
Two studies have shown that late-stage embryos in bird eggs can communicate with each other. A 1966 study found that the earliest laid eggs in a clutch of quail eggs would begin clicking 12 to 18 hours before hatch. The eggs that were laid later would respond to the clicking and the entire clutch would hatch hatch at the same time. This allowed the mother to forage for food without having any unattended eggs. Eggs experimentally separated from each other would hatch as much as two days apart.
A 2019 study of yellow-legged gull eggs showed that late stage embryos could detect warning calls of adult birds and communicate the danger to their nest mates. This resulted in the hatchlings presenting much more cautious behavior. The article I read didn’t specify but I would assume that meant less movement and less vocalization.
There haven’t been any similar studies on loon eggs but, considering that loon chicks are precocial (ready to jump in the water and swim after hatching), it’s a safe bet that by now these eggs are holding two conscious, sentient beings. I wonder if they are communicating with each other. I wonder if chick 1 is telling chick 2, “Stay out of my way, shrimp. I eat first!”
Loons and the Fourth
July 1, 2023
The long holiday weekend begins and the lakes fill up with people ready to party. It’s a good time to talk about fireworks, as well as boating etiquette.
This time of year we frequently get questions about fireworks disturbing nesting loons. Although there have been no rigorous studies into the possible effects of fireworks on nesting loons, LPC has crunched some numbers to see if there is any correlation between the July 4th fireworks and nest failures. None was found. Observations of loons during firework displays show varying degrees of alertness but little more than that. This fact sheet will give you more details.
On the other hand, fireworks can introduce perchlorate contamination to the water. On small lakes, levels can exceed standards considered to be safe. The good news is that the level of contaminants usually drops back to normal within 24 hours. Those using fireworks can minimize the chance of contamination by launching from an area that does not drain into the lake and by raking up any debris left from the fireworks. NH Dept. of Environmental Services has a useful fact sheet for those launching fireworks over a lake.
A more immediate danger for loons is poor boating etiquette. Ignoring “no wake” zones can cause nest flooding and possibly nest failure. And it’s important to remember that not all no wake zones are signed. Any time you are within 150 feet of the shore (including islands) you should be going at headway speed. And keep an eye out for chicks; there are quite a few of them out on the lakes now. An adult loon has little problem dodging boats but chicks are quite vulnerable to boat strikes. Let’s make this a safe holiday for the wildlife as well as the humans.
Mom’s Ex
June 26, 2023
If you are a regular follower of LPC’s loon cams, you probably know that the male on Cam 2 is a fairly recent addition to the territory. In 2021 this territory was in a state of chaos and upheaval. Multiple intruders wreaked enough havoc to prevent any nesting attempt, similar to what is happening on Cam 1 this year.
In 2022, an unbanded male emerged as the new resident Dad. As far as we can tell, he is back again this year. Things have been going so smoothly that it’s highly likely that the pair has previously been together.
But what about Mom’s ex? How’s he doing? Well, he’s doing. Recently he was seen on the outer edge of this territory and over the past year and a half he’s been seen all over the bay in which this territory is located. He’s been a “local” loon since at least 2006, when he was banded as the resident loon on a territory next door to this territory. This is fairly typical. A general rule of thumb is that an adult loon will rarely move more than ten miles from where it first establishes residence.
Mom’s ex is still unpaired and living the vagabond life. We can calculate that he is at least 20 years old and maybe closer to 30. It’s probably getting tough for him to contend with the six to ten year-olds in the prime of their lives. But he still has a chance. It’s well documented that thirty year-olds can still be productive.
Détente on Cam One
June 20, 2023
It’s been about seven weeks that we’ve been watching our cam 1 pair try to maintain control over the territory, sometimes with as many as three intruders at the same time. The female was seen beached once, which is strong evidence that she was in an altercation with an intruding female. However, she appears to be back in the water and holding her own.
Things have quieted down some. Lately, for the most part, we’ve only been seeing three loons with very little antagonistic behavior. It seems they are in a stalemate; sort of like your deadbeat uncle comes for a visit and refuses to leave.
Such a situation is not that rare. Sometimes it can last an entire season or even multiple seasons. I can remember two instances from my field biology days where the reluctant couple tolerated the uninvited guest through an entire season. The three were even seen working together to chase off a new intruder and taking a daytime nap together, all within 10 feet of each other. Any thoughts of nesting were abandoned; it came to simply accepting their fate and staying on territory.
Is that what’s happening on Cam 1? It sure seems like it. There’s only two weeks left until it will be too late to start a nest that has any reasonable chance of producing a surviving chick that’s ready to fly off the lake before ice-in. The pair hasn’t even shown any interest in the nesting raft. The situation would have to change very quickly.
Two Eggs, by the (revised) Book
June 15, 2023
Our Cam 2 pair deposited their second egg in the nest yesterday morning, exactly 62 hours and 30 minutes after the first egg was laid. Going by the general rule of thumb I learned when I was first introduced to the natural history of loons (2 eggs one or two days apart), we might think this was an abnormally long time between appearances but loon cam records over the past seven years show otherwise.
Of the nine nests where we are sure of the dates and times for both eggs (+/- an hour or so) we get an average of about 61 hours between eggs and a range of 58¼ to 63½. If we make subsets of the three females we’ve been following over this period, their individual time ranges are even smaller. Female #1 (the old Cam 1) had a range of 58¼ to 59½. Female #2 (Cam 2) has range of 61 to 63½. Female #3 (the current Cam 1) has two clutches so far, both had 62¼ hours between eggs. I feel comfortable in saying that our New Hampshire loons lay eggs about two and a half days apart.
So where did this “one to two days apart” thing come from? Well, for starters, we’ve never had 24/7 observation coverage until the loon cams became a thing. Prior to that, the best any nest had was a daily visit. Biologists covering numerous small lakes scattered over a region of the state would be doing fantastic work just to get weekly visits. The one data point we had to get was the OTN (on the nest) date. More often than not, that was “calculated”: the date half-way between two inspection dates. Determining the time between eggs was a practical impossibility..
The other issue is that the first egg is usually only sporadically incubated. A biologist might pass by the nest and not see a loon sitting on it, and just move on, not realizing that there was an egg in the bottom of the nest. Many recorded OTN dates are likely to be a day or two after the first egg was laid. And then after all that, the eggs hatch about a day apart. Logical reasoning based on low-accuracy data would result in an estimate of one or two days between eggs being laid.
This is just one of the revelations the loon cams have provided us. They will continue to give us more insights into the lives of breeding loons.
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.
Eagles and Loons
May 31, 2023
Four loons on one small lake should be enough of a disruption for a territorial loon pair. Imagine living in an environment where you are subject to attack, not only from any side, but also from beneath. It’s no wonder that birds and aquatic mammals can practice unihemispheric sleep. Otherwise, it would be near impossible to get any rest.
To add insult to injury, the local bald eagle pair has been regularly visiting the lake, making it necessary for the loons to be constantly aware of what’s going on above as well as beneath them. This clip demonstrates the chaos eagles can inflict on loons. Although an eagle can rarely take an adult loon, it does happen on occasion. Loon chicks are much more susceptible to eagles, as evidenced in this clip.
But loons can fight back. In the summer of 2019 a dead eagle was found floating in a Maine lake. A necropsy showed that it had been stabbed through the heart. Further investigation revealed that the carcass of a newly hatched loon chick was also found nearby. The conclusion was that the eagle got the chick but an adult loon got the eagle, using the same tactics employed for protecting it’s territory from intruding loons.
Eagles have been making a strong comeback in New Hampshire. Considered extirpated in the 1970s, mostly due to the pesticide, DDT, the first confirmed territorial eagle pair returned in 1988. They remained as the only known pair for ten years, but around the year 2000 the population began a rapid increase. The 2022 census counted 92 territorial pairs in New Hampshire. The majority are along the Connecticut River and in the Lakes Region.
LPC has been following New Hampshire Audubon’s eagle population surveys and a study led by LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley showed that loons near an eagle nest experienced a higher rate of nest failures. This could be a cause for concern but, compared to anthropogenic stressors such as lead tackle, boat collisions and habitat degradation, eagles do not appear to cause any significant population effects. Eagles and loons have dealt with each other since time immemorial. They will both continue to prosper as long as we practice good stewardship.
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.