Loon Cam FAQ
When will the eggs hatch?
This early Looncam pair usually lay egg in mid to late May.Incubation is approximately 28 days, so if the hatch is successful, it should occur in mid to late June.
How does the loon cam work?
The solar powered camera is mounted to a wooden post that is driven into the bottom of the pond, just a little offshore and 30 feet from the nest. An Ethernet cable supplies power and an internet connection to the camera, which runs underwater to an equipment box, on shore.Sound comes from a microphone, mounted on a post in the pond, close to 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 signal is sent via Wireless Ethernet to a residence and an internet connection. the video stream runs 24×7, over a 35 megabit per second 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?
For privacy of the loons and the gracious people that allow placement of the loon cam, the location is unidentified. It is in New Hampshire, within an hour’s drive of the Moultonboro based Loon Center.
Can I donate to the operation of the loon cam?
Yes! Please use the donation button on the loon cam page and select the “Loon Cam” button. We upgraded the bandwidth this year and bought new batteries for the solar powered Looncam 2.The budget is about $2000 to operate two Loon Cams in 2019, from May into July. Your donations help make it possible.
How do I control the view?
The camera may be 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 us an email or mention it in the YouTube chat room and if the loon cam operator is watching, your request may be granted.
Can I make the picture bigger?
Yes, use the YouTube full-screen icon, which shows when you touch or mouse-over the bottom of the picture. Be sure to select a high resolution with the settings gear on the stream. You can also open up the stream on the YouTube web site, smart TV, or mobile application. On the YouTube 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.
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, to provide some natural sounds while protecting neighbor’s privacy. At times, the microphone will be muted.
Why is the picture jerky or fuzzy?
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, contact volunteers@loon.org
The Nesting Pair
One egg was laid on Friday, June 14 at 7:27 PM and the second egg on Monday, June 17 at 8:40 AM The expected hatch date is 28 days (give or take), so about July 12’th.
You can tell the female from male by the bands on their legs. The Female has a White Stripe/Blue on the left leg and Silver/Yellow Stripe on the right leg. The male has a Red/White on the left leg and Silver/Red Dot on the right leg. The male was originally banded in 2006, so he is at least 16, but more likely 19 or more. The female was only banded in 2017, so all we know is that she is at least 5. From 2006-2016, the male only fledged 4 chicks. 4 chicks in 11 years is slightly lower than the NH state average (which is 1 chick fledged every other year). However, since he’s been with his current mate and on this territory, he’s fledged 2 chicks in 2 years, which is double the state average. To be alerted when a hatch is underway subscribe to the free LPC newsletter.
The live video image on this page comes from a high-definition Axis video camera with pan-tilt-zoom features 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. From there, the video stream is sent via wireless Ethernet to a residence, and an internet connection. The camera and Ethernet radio are powered by batteries, recharged only by solar panels. 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 Loon Recovery Plan. Please click here to contribute to these efforts.
Acknowledgements
Funding for the loon cam project is made possible by LPC’s Loon Recovery Planyou’re 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 Communications, CamStreamer and AngelCam. The camera installation would not have been possible without the generous permission of several anonymous property owners.
One More Healthy Chick
It’s been an “interesting” three days since we first saw the pip on what we assume was egg #1. The chick hatched in the dark, early hours of Thursday morning but we didn’t get a look at it until daylight. The loons continued incubating the second egg and we hoped to see another hatch soon. The following night, loon cam watchers reported hearing peeps and tapping coming from the egg (it’s so great to have a microphone on the raft!) and our expectations were high.
Meanwhile, the hatched chick was getting rambunctious and the parents had their hands (wings?) full, trying to incubate an egg while taking care of a precocious chick. By the time daylight arrived on Friday, both parents were spending more time with the chick than incubating the egg. Viewers reported and discussed interesting features on the surface of the egg but we never saw a classic pip (the beginnings of a chick emerging from the shell. By nightfall, it was apparent that the loons were more concerned with the chick and ignoring the egg.
Today it’s safe to say that the second egg will not hatch and possibly never would have hatched. The loons haven’t been back to the nest and they are busy feeding and guarding the chick. Soon they will start moving toward the brooding area, which is in another cove. The loon cam was shut down shortly after noon.
Losing an egg is a disappointment but the loons have to protect their investment, which is now a healthy chick in the water. When we look at the big picture, our two Loon Cam pairs have hatched three healthy chicks this year. If they all survive to the end of the season, then that is a roaring success; three times the statewide average. Here’s wishing a long life to the chicks and their parents, who we hope to see back here next year, contributing again to a sustainable loon population.
Do We Have a Pip?
Sure looks like it!
Correcting Some Misconceptions
Comments in the YouTube chat show some misconceptions about loon anatomy, particularly about anatomical structures lacking in loons. Here are some features found in a wide range of birds but not found in loons:
The Crop – A crop is an enlargement of the esophagus that allows storage of food prior to continuing to the stomach (more properly known as gizzard or ventriculus). It allows birds to gorge on food where it is plentiful and then digest the food when they’ve moved to a safer location. It also does some predigestion preparation and may be useful in combating harmful bacteria. Omnivorous and herbivorous birds are most likely to have a crop, and to have a well developed, complex, lobed crop. Loons are nearly exclusive fish eaters (piscivores) and that may have something to do with why they don’t have crops. Penguins are another piscivorous bird without a crop. Cormorants have a rudimentary crop, which is nothing more than an extra wide section in the esophagus.
Brood Patch – A brood patch is a featherless area on the underside of an incubating bird. It usually has a number of blood vessels near the skin and it aids in heat transfer to the egg. Brood patches typically are only present during breeding season. Loons seem to manage well without a brood patch. Exactly why loons don’t have a brood patch is unknown but it might have something to do with waterproofing. A loon’s feathers form a watertight envelope and they can control buoyancy by expanding and contracting their feathers. Perhaps a brood patch could compromise the watertight seal.
Egg Tooth – An egg tooth is a protuberance used by the offspring of egg-laying animals to break through the eggshell. On birds, it is normally found on the top of the upper mandible and falls off within a few days after hatching. Loon chicks can do well without an egg tooth. Their bill is well formed at hatch time, and although it isn’t as sharp and dagger-like as an adults, it’s still more than adequate for punching a hole in the eggshell. Loon chicks are precocial, meaning that they are fully developed and ready to jump in the water and swim with their parents the same day that they hatch. They are well past the stage where they would need an egg tooth.