June 17, 2018 - A Historic Moment at Wicwas

First, the good news:  the loons have nested!  The nest was first seen by the keen eye of Amy Wilson, with a couple of suggestions from Dave and Marge Thorpe, and as Amy had her camera with a good telephoto lens, she was able to catch a couple of pictures from far away without disturbing the loon on the nest. 

A near ideal nesting site.  Photos by Amy Wilson

This year they selected a well hidden spot, with good overhead cover from the sun and predators - unlike last years nest, right out in the middle of a cove - so it will not be marked with signs.  But if you do happen to come across it, move away quickly, as just a short time with the parent off the nest leaves the eggs vulnerable to being over-heated, under-heated, or taken by a predator.  Also, if you notice a loon acting strangely, such as flapping its wings, calling loudly, or coming up close to someone's boat, it likely means the boat is near the nest, so please ask them to move away from the shore.

Just showing off a few weeks ago, but it's they type of display use to attract threats away from the nest

And here is the momentous event:  as far back as anyone can remember (and there are some people that have been on this lake for a long time) we have only had one nesting pair of loons on the lake.  This year, for the first time, there is a second nest.

Nest number two!

Again, it was Amy who found it.  This nest is much more visible, but Henry Stevens, biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee, will be at Wicwas tomorrow, and he will determine if this nest should be marked.

After so much loon drama on the lake the past three years, there hasn't been a chick that survived since 2014.  I'm hoping that the rogue loon that has been part of the problem - and has been on the lake again this summer - has found a mate and now will be too busy taking care of its own offspring to harass the other pair.  But first-time parents don't have a lot of experience, so that scenario may not play out.  At any rate, the general rule of thumb is that each loon pair needs 150 acres of lake, so Lake Wicwas is large enough for two nesting pairs to share.  I'll keep everyone up to date with the status of a pair of pairs!

In another exciting moment this week, the quick eye of Neil Crimins caught this good size black ambling along Loon Point this past week, looking for unsecured garbage cans or a stray bird feeder.

Bear Alert!  Photo by Neil Crimins

He also caught sight of doe with a very tiny new fawn!  Keep your eye out and maybe you'll see one too.  Send me a picture if you're lucky enough to get one.

I was away for much of the past week enjoying a visit with family in South Carolina who live in a beautiful spot near Charleston, and are very gracious hosts.  They brought us to a raptor rehabilitation center in Awendaw, South Carolina called The Center for Birds of Prey, which has eagles, hawks, kites, and many others birds on site, and even does raptor demonstrations.

American Kestrel

Great horned owl coming in for a landing

Little baby kestrels (corrected, I think)

I highly recommend a visit if you are ever near the Charleston area.

Back at Lake Wicwas, the only raptor I saw this week was an osprey soaring over the lake one morning.

Osprey on a fishing excursion

But I did see another handsome couple the same day, happily enjoying a sunny morning with a brilliant blue sky.

A happy a pair of mourning doves (Is that an oxymoron?)

There are lots of pairs on the lake, and hopefully, a couple of new baby loons will soon join them.