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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 May 24, 2023

News Headlines (Click here for Biff’s Blog)

 

Looncam 2023

Welcome to LPC’s LoonCam Live.  We broadcast live from a loon nests in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire from May through July.  

If you are new to the LoonCam, please consider becoming an annual member of LPC.  New members that join in May will be entered into a drawing for several prizes.  More information at loon.org/member-a-day-in-may/

LoonCam 1 is streaming 24×7 from the Lakes Region of NH. The loons have been visiting the nest several times a day.  Recently, there were four loons in the area, so some territory issues need to be worked out before nesting will occur.  Last year, the first loon egg arrived on May 28’th.  Since this pair was banded in 2013, the earliest nest date was 5/24 (2021) and the latest was 6/10 (2017).  

We are planning a Looncam 2 in June, from the normal spot.  

 

2022 LoonCam Season Archive 

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.  The following playlist from the 2022 season includes clips from both looncam 1 and 2 – sorted by most popular.  

2022 LoonCam Highlight Playlist (click to start)

 

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.   

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)

2022 Season Summary by Loon Cam Operator

 

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.

2023 Loon Cam Biff’s Blog

Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2023

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.

May 23, 2023/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 Conrod2023-05-23 11:47:462023-05-23 11:47:46It’s Not Too Late
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2023

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.

May 19, 2023/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 Conrod2023-05-19 08:17:202023-05-19 08:17:20Dad’s Distinctive Voice
Biff Conrod
Loon Cam 2023

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.

May 10, 2023/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 Conrod2023-05-10 13:16:122023-05-10 13:16:12The Price of Success
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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
PreviousNext

The Loon Cam 1 Nesting Pair 

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, 12 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 15 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 10 chicks, 7 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 week.  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 LPC staff or volunteers 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 30 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 second 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).  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 2021/Loon Cam 2022
July 15, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .

July 12, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

A More Precise Record of Nest Duties

July 10, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Duties

July 3, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: The Territory

June 25, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

An Incredibly Weird Event

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 15, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .

July 12, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

A More Precise Record of Nest Duties

July 10, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Duties

July 3, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: The Territory

June 25, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

An Incredibly Weird Event

Loon Cam News By Year
All/Loon Cam 2016/Loon Cam 2017/Loon Cam 2018/Loon Cam 2019/Loon Cam 2020/Loon Cam 2021/Loon Cam 2022
July 15, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .

July 12, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

A More Precise Record of Nest Duties

July 10, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Duties

July 3, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: The Territory

June 25, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

An Incredibly Weird Event

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

July 15, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Waiting for the Dust to Settle . . .

July 12, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

A More Precise Record of Nest Duties

July 10, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Nest Duties

July 3, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

Loon Cam 2: The Territory

June 25, 2022InLoon Cam 2022, Looncam

An Incredibly Weird Event

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 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

What We Do

  • Our Work
  • Nest Rafts
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  • Counting Loons
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Contact LPC

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