July 17, 2022: Three's a Crowd

Three pairs that is.  Just when things had settled down with two pairs of loons on Lake Wicwas a third pair arrived and riled things up again.  I had heard some agitated vocalizing on and off for a few days but didn't know the cause until I encountered an altercation between one of the nesting birds - I assume the male - and the intruders.  As I paddled out of Marion Cove one morning I saw a loon on the nest and its mate out at the entrance to the cove - and then a third loon swimming near by.  What I'm assuming is the nesting male quickly approached the visitor and escorted it out and away from his nesting territory towards the middle of the lake.

"Keep moving along."

Out there another loon was just watching and waiting and when the three came together the excitement began.

The Standoff.

There was lots of circling, head dunking, and diving.

When one dove the others dove as well - maybe the word has gotten around about hits being put out on intruding loons on Lake Wicwas.  (See June 19, 2022 post if you missed the report about the recent loon execution.)  

The banded male loon on Wicwas was one of the larger loons the LPC has recorded, so large in fact that they didn't have a metal band large enough and had to use a plastic one, and this big guy had no qualms about showing these two intruders who's in charge.  I recorded a video of part of the interaction which includes diving, vocalizing, and aggressive chasing.

After they settled down and the two visitors sailed off to the west I continued my paddle towards the second nest and saw the guard loon at the mouth of Harris Cove and the other loon on the nest.  So six loons in all, and both nests were still occupied - at that moment.

Saturday was the annual Loon Census and the Thorpes took the count for the lake.  It was an unusually low census with only four loons being sighted.  Nonetheless, it was an eventful morning.  At 8:15 they spotted a noon on the nest in Marion Cove.  But by 9:00 they saw both loons of that pair off the nest, and investigating the nest there was no evidence of an egg, egg fragments, or predation.  Furthermore, it was a minimal nest at best - no bowl, no buildup of sticks and plant material, basically just a bare spot on the ground.  It didn't even look like it could hold and egg without it rolling away.  So there's a mystery as to what that nesting session was all about.  If I get any input from the LPC biologist I'll be sure to report it.  The other nest, at least as of the census on Saturday morning, was still occupied.

A few other quick notes from the week.  Deb Crowley, who takes wonderful photographs, was able to spot the scarlet tanager, something I've been unable to do, and she got a great picture of him (only the males are bright red, females are olive-yellow.)

Scarlet Tanager.   Photo by Deb Crowley.

It's one of the most stunning birds we have in New Hampshire.

I also had an up-close and personal moment with a bobcat.

I was on an early morning walk and the cat must have heard my footsteps on the trail as it came right onto the trail in front of me to check me out.

It didn't appear to be afraid of me and after it decided I wasn't food it just meandered down the trail in front of me.

Just a few minutes later, less than 200 yards away I came across mother deer and her fawn - still spotted and no larger than a good-size dog.  They better be careful!

And now this late-breaking news:  We have a loon chick!  Deb Crowley saw it first late Saturday, followed closely by Dean Cascadden.  Deb was kind enough to grant naming rights to Dean who has named it Maddie after his grandaughter who turned six months old yesterday.

Introducing Maddie.  Photo by Deb Crowley.

Both parents were off the nest so it appears there will be only one chick on Wicwas this year, but that's still good news.  Now we have the long, nervous wait to see if the parents can protect this little fluff ball from all the hazards it will face over the next four months, from turtles to eagles to other loons.

Photo by Deb Crowley.

Thank you Deb for your good eye and your great photography!  Hopefully these are the first of many pictures of Maddie this summer.