LPC Loon Cam 2 ~ Last Views Of Loon Family Before Leaving For Brooding Area! 💕 7.16.24

This video shows both Mom and Dad loon and chick as they spend their last day on the nest. Both parents are seen swimming with the little loon chick ♥ Mom slides off the nest in a hurry and the loon chick tries to follow her into the water but gets side tracked by the canopy grates. Mom is wailing - there might have been an intruder close by. The chick cries out to her and then backs up and goes to the front side of the nest and into the water. Mom and chick swim out for a long time.

Dad will return to the nest with the chick and incubate the egg for a while and then he will take off and the chick jumps in the water right after him and off they go for another swim together! While out on the lake, Mom shows up and she swims back to the nest and the loon chick paddles behind her and up the ramp. The chick wants to get under her wing and then gets comfy. But not for long as Mom slides off the nest again and the chick follows. This time they head out and stay out on the lake - while the rain comes pouring down. Mom and Dad will not return to the nest at this point, they will swim off to their brooding area which is about a half mile away to raise their chick.

Loon chicks are entirely dependent on their parents for food, and one adult typically remains on the water’s surface with the chicks while the other catches fish and feeds them.

When the loon chick is a week old, its legs, feet, and head, which are needed for swimming and food capture, begin to grow. Chicks are better able to regulate their own body temperatures and may spend more time in the water on their own, though back riding is still common. They are able to swim to the bottom of shallow areas, probe and search around objects, and chase fish.

At two weeks of age, the loon chick will molt into a second downy plumage that is a lighter brown color. It will be able to swim underwater erratically for lengths up to 50 feet. Parents may begin leaving the chick alone on the water’s surface while both dive for food to feed it.

At a month old, the growth of juvenile primary feathers begins. At this age the loon chick has become too large to back ride, though it may still try.

At two months old, growth of legs, feet, and head begin to slow. Juvenile plumage has fully developed, enabling chicks to compress air out of feathers and dive efficiently. Chicks can forage independently and capture about 50% of their daily food. They begin exercising their wings to prepare for flight. Around 10-11 weeks, one parent may leave for the ocean, but the other typically stays with the chick until it reaches fledging age.

At three months old, the loon chick will reach fledging age and become independent. They may take their first flight, and they eat fish of similar size to adults. At this stage, the second parent may migrate to the ocean, leaving the chick entirely alone on the natal lakes. Loon chicks typically leave their lakes 1-3 weeks after their parents, though some remain into the early winter.

Many thanks to LPC Preservation Committee for providing us another wonderful year to watch the loons lay their eggs, hatch & raise their chick! Thank you for watching!

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The loons are identified by coded leg bands.

Female: Left leg: white stripe (white background with a horizontal black stripe through the middle) over blue
Right leg: Silver over yellow stripe (yellow background with a horizontal black stripe through the middle)

Male:
Left leg: Blue stripe (blue background with a horizontal white stripe through the middle) over orange dot (orange background with a black dot in the middle)
Right leg: Blue dot (blue background with a white dot in the middle) over silver

The female at the Cam 2 nest was banded in 2017. She's been on territory in recent years, with the exception of 2023. That year, she was seen in this territory and in neighboring ones, but no pair ever settled down to nest.

Video captured & edited by Lady Hawk

Courtesy of LPC Preservation Committee Loon Cam - many thanks on this camera! #loonpreservationcommittee #loons #looncam #LPC