PS

Oops! I forgot to reply to one blogger that asked about the water level. It's been very dry, and the levels have dropped. The area in front of the nest is a gradual incline, so this isn't preventing them from reaching the nest. Unfortunately, the camera is zoomed out as far as it can go, so we can't see the edge of the water any longer.

Lee

Update

Thanks for all your continued blogs about hearing, if not seeing the loons. Our "birds eye" observers on site continue to see the pair together, so that confirms that they haven't nested somewhere else.

In New England, the first week of July is historically about the end of the common loon nesting period. That means if they haven't nested by then, it is very unlikely that they will. With nature, I always like to give them the benefit of the doubt, so we'll probably leave the system in place for another couple of weeks.

Someone asked how many consecutive years this pair has nested. We know the last four for certain, and we believe it may be many more.

Regarding mercury toxicity. This pair were tested when they were captured and banded, and their levels were quite low. We don't have any reason to suspect that mercury contamination is an issue for this pair, that could cause problems with successful nesting.

During the thirty plus years that common loons have been monitored in New England, there have been many documented cases of pairs being on territory, and not nesting. Right now, I am monitoring quite a few other pairs as well, and there seems to be an unusually high number of pairs that aren't nesting. It will be interesting to see how the numbers add up at the end of the season.

Stay cool. The hot, hazy, southern air has finally pushed into Maine.

Lee

Always Learning

Good morning. I share the disappointment that many of you have expressed in your blogs that the loons have not nested, so far, yet as a wildlife researcher, I remain aware that we are always learning. Regardless of the outcome, the camera, the folks on site, and all of you, have helped us gather some very important data, again, this year.

In terms of an update, little has changed. The frequency of visits to the nest area has remained fairly constant, but not what we've come to expect in years they have nested. I believe that there has only been one sighting of a loon actually on the nest, and that was very brief. Folks on site continue to see the banded pair together, sometimes with a third loon. An intruder can disturb the nesting activity of a pair, but this pair has dealt with that every year, with little affect. I don't see that as a viable reason that they haven't nested, so far.

I hope that everyone has noticed that thanks to The Kids In The Nest, we now have unlimited video viewing. Streaming video at the quality we are providing is very expensive, and we are extremely pleased that we can now offer unlimited viewing.

If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to donate, so that we can keep this program free for everyone. Thanks very much!!

Lee

Empty Chair

Many of you have shown a great deal of interest in my level of comfort while I'm in the field engrossed in my loon cam duties, so I thought that I would share that the kind folks on site took pity on me, and outfitted me with a new wooden chair, that comes complete with a cane seat! Now, that's luxury. I might have wished for a nice recliner, but I do have to stay awake up there.

The only problem that remains, as all of you are well aware, is that the new chair sits empty, since the loons haven't nested. Let's go already!

Last word from the "eagle eyed" observers on site is that the banded pair swam by their den, this morning, which confirms that they remain a pair. They also observed more activity near the nest and island, earlier in the week. Those observations were late afternoon, so that pattern of visitation continues.

You may have noticed that we got a lot of rain over the last 48 hours, and water levels are up. This is nothing that threatens the current nest site, but it may offer us a better chance of seeing the loons in front of the nest. With any luck, many visits.

Lee