May 29, 2022: Paddling with the Bears

While out on an evening paddle on the lake last week I saw a brown blob swimming along the water - it looked like a duck, but it was too brown for duck.  It couldn't be a beaver because there was too much of it above the water.  Same thing for a mink or an otter.  Suddenly it dawned on me when I saw a bit of orange on the forward end of the blob:  it was a bear.  It was moving fast - I don't know whether that's its normal cruising speed or whether it didn't like the sight of me heading towards it.  At any rate, it made a beeline for its point of access and climbed right up onto shore.

Mr. Bear leaves quite a wake.

It was crossing from the north side of the lake near the outlet, making landfall on the Marion Conservation land near the powerlines.  When it was on dry land it certainly wasn't being discreet as it crashed along through the underbrush.   

He looks a little thinner soaking wet.

Just another typical day on Lake Wicwas.  

But that's not all.  Driving over a rise in the road two days later I found this.

There he is again.

I stopped and he just kept ambling down the road towards me until he decided he really better not get any closer.

And just like that, he was gone.  

Our loons haven't nested yet as far as I can tell - the two of them are still out swimming and fishing together except when there are altercations with a third, rogue loon.  At one point two loons were having a loud, flapping battle right next to me on the shoreline.  It was the sound that caught my attention - I thought there was a bear or a moose climbing up on shore, but couldn't see anything.  Then I saw the two loons thrashing at each other and suddenly diving and disappearing.  Tom and Pat B. caught another example of the situation when three loons popped up near their boat, apparently oblivious to the boat as they noted the loons "barely noticed us as they were so involved in themselves."  They took this video:

As long as there is a loon harassing the pair they may not nest, and the time is here for them to do so.

There have been a few other birds I don't see very often around the lake, all seen while on various paddles.  On one warm, moderately windy day I saw two birds soaring over the lake enjoying the thermals.  One is a common sight:

Turkey vultures are often seen soaring over fields and roadways.

The other I have only seen a couple of times, hunting in winter at the bird feeders:

Cooper's hawks are not rare, but rather secretive.

I'll remind you that I'm not expert in these matters and it's possible this is a sharp-shinned hawk as the two are very similar, so I'd be happy to hear any thoughts on the identification.  The shape of the tail and the size of the head pointed me to the Cooper's hawk.  Both the Cooper's and the sharp-shinned dine primarily on smaller birds, keeping out of sight until attacking at high speed.  Being smaller than broad-winged and red-tailed hawks gives them the ability to catch their prey in flight with their great speed and agility even in dense forests where a fleeing bird will attempt to evade them.  

One last bird, considered more an ocean bird than a lake bird is the spotted sandpiper which was flitting along the shoreline, stopping here and there in search of something to eat - insects on the rocks or larvae in the water.

Spotted Sandpiper

And finally, as the spring/early summer wildflower season reaches its climax, the pink lady's slippers have joined the parade.  I was able to find one in its early stage of blooming:

A pink lady's slipper just before blooming.

And many in their full glory.

Everyone's favorite!

Lady's slippers, trillium, fringed polygala, bluets are all in bloom.  This long weekend is the perfect time to see what you will find in the forest - just wear your bear bell in case you also see a bear!  Happy Memorial Day!

Note:  If you're interested in a local walk this weekend to look for wildflowers here are some suggestions:

• The Beaver Pond Trail at Page Pond (Trail head on Blueberry Hill Rd)
• The Quarry Loop Trail at Page Pond
• The White Trail at Waukewan Highlands
• The Yellow Trail at Hamlin-Eames-Smyth  

June 9, 2019: A Second Nest Appears

For the second year in a row there are two loon nests on Lake Wicwas.  I expect we'll see a band on the first pair to know it's our long-resident female, but without bands to identify the second pair we we can only postulate these are the same birds which have returned for another year.

The second nest is in a secluded spot on the lake where there isn't much boat traffic so it will not be marked with signs and its location won't be advertised.  If you do happen to come across it or observe a loon behaving strangely just move away from the area.

I noticed the nest because two loons were close together near shore but clearly not fishing.  Thinking something was going on, I took some pictures from a distance but only after blowing them up did I see they were building a nest on a tiny mound of earth.  One bird was at the nest pulling up weeds while the other loon was farther out searching for more substantial building materials and bringing them back.

A dive down to find some nesting material

What did we find?

A pretty little lily pad for the nursery

According to the Loon Preservation Committee, both the male and female participate in home building.

The second loon gathering sticks for the foundation

As of today a loon is sitting happily on the nest, though it has no shade at all so when the weather gets hot it might not be so happy.  It will be important for one parent or the other to stay on the nest as an egg can cook quickly if exposed to the hot sun.  They'll switch positions frequently to allow their partner to go for a swim and cool off.

Last year both of our loon pairs laid two eggs and each hatched a single chick, but both of them succumbed to the many threats a loon chick faces. Let's hope things go better this year.

The other large birds that nest on local lakes seem to fare much better, and the parents have already hatched their eggs and are out on the water tending to their brood.

Seven little goslings in a row

Geese and loons will sometimes interact but mostly they keep their distance from one another.

When I was out attending to some conservation areas on the lake this week I was visited by a few other birds including one I don't see very often.

A curious song sparrow wondered what I was up to

And a tree swallow sat for a long time and watched

 Both of these were on Turtle Island.  This next one was poking along the rocks over at Bryant Island looking for insects to eat.

I don't see a spotted sandpiper on the lake very often.

It's always nice to have some company to share the beautiful sights of early summer on the lake.