The Loon Lady

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

If you care about wildlife, please read. Off leash dogs could also be harmed.

05/31/2026

Please keep wakes low near nesting loons so nests and eggs are not washed out! Watch ahead, slow down, and go far around loons when boating and jet skiing.

05/29/2026

5/28/26: In this video you can hear 3 male loons yodeling from their territories on Upper Gull Lk in Minnesota. Only male loons yodel, and they each have unique yodels. Can you tell tell their yodels apart? The yodel means, “I am a male loon, this is my territory, and I am prepared to defend it.” By increasing the duration of the second part of the yodel, the loon is sending a message that it is ready to fight and defend its territory. Scientist Charlie Wolcott discovered that male yodels could be discriminated from each other based on a subtle change in the duration of the second and third introductory notes. Males can distinguish between territory neighbors and non neighbors. This information is from the fascinating book Loon Lessons, Uncommon Encounters With The Great Northern Diver by James D. Paruk.

05/27/2026

5/27/27 On Tuesday evening Minnesota Loon Rescue received a call from Jessica who had found an orphaned loon chick while boating on C**n Lake with friends. Since the lake was in the greater metro service area of Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release, I referred the call to them. With WRR volunteer Gail Buhl’s excellent advice, Jessica and her friends were able to find the newly hatched chick’s family and reunite them. Thank you, Jessica and Gail! When our lakes are crowded with speeding boats and jet skis, chicks can get separated from parents and become easy prey for predators. Boat and jet ski strikes are a leading cause of adult loon and chick deaths. In 2025 Minnesota Loon Rescue rescued 23 loon chicks! Loon parents won’t try to dive out of your way when protecting chicks, and chicks are difficult to see. Chicks can’t dive out of your way. Always assume loons will not dive out of your way. Watch ahead, slow down, and go far around loons!
Minnesota Loon Rescue
855-552-1500
Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release
612 822-7058

05/26/2026

Loons most often have a two-egg clutch, but sometimes they will lay just one egg and in extremely rare occasions may lay as many as three. Eggs are typically laid 1–3 days apart.

Once the first egg is laid, incubation is typically sporadic until the clutch is complete. After their clutch is complete, the loons begin to incubate the eggs much more consistently. Egg development requires pretty precise temperature regulation, and as such, the loons must incubate more or less constantly. To achieve this, the male and female take turns tending the nest, usually in shifts lasting 2-6 hours. During the first week of incubation, the male may spend a bit more time on the nest than the female, doing 50–60% of the incubating. This may allow the female more time to forage in order to recover from the energetic demands of producing and laying two large eggs. But by week four of incubation, females are typically doing up to 60% or more of the incubating.

Photo credit: Virginia and Daniel Poleschook

05/25/2026

5/21/26 Gash and his new mate were in the Lost Lk channel across from the nesting platform. A loon flew over and Gash yodeled a warning. We named Gash’s mate Jolene after the woman in the song by Dolly Parton. If Gash is actually Ole, Jolene stole Lena’s man. Compared to other female loons we monitor, Jolene’s behavior seems very assertive. Upper Gull Lk, MN

05/24/2026

5/24/26 There has been so much loon drama on Upper Gull over the past week! As our friend Margie said, it's better than a soap opera! The lethargic loon we discovered on May 17 with the gash under its eye is now named Gash. Darcy and I believe the Causeway pair evicted both Ole and Lena from the Lost Lk Channel territory in 2025 and annexed the territory to theirs. Over the past week Gash and Rums, the Causeway male, have fought. Gash ultimately was the victor, and has claimed the Lost Lake territory and a new mate. The nest in the Causeway territory has been abandoned. If Rums was the losing opponent, his mate would most likely have paired with Gash. This may seem sad to you, but we are wondering if Gash is actually Ole, and he has reclaimed his territory. I have many profile photos of Ole and Gash. Their beaks look very much the same. Gash's overly friendly behavior towards us is very much like Ole. He has introduced his new mate to the ANP in the Lost Lake channel where he and Lena have nested for many years. He is fiercely defending the territory he claimed. So...for now, Gash looks to be the Lost Lk channel territorial male. There have been daily social gatherings on Upper Gull Lk that have been more anti-social, and "floaters" looking for a territory could challenge Gash. We don't know what happened to Rums. Maybe he will be back to fight. As much as I would prefer to see Lena back in her territory along with Ole, I am very happy to see this new pair lingering near the ANP. I hope Gash is Ole, and the Lost Lake territory remains his. He was the best loon dad on Upper Gull! This is all based on educated guess work. Ole and the Causeway pair were not banded. Lena is banded. (More photos and videos will be posted.)

05/22/2026

5/22/26: Abandoned loon nest - more about this situation coming soon!

05/22/2026

Another interesting Friday Loon Fact from our friends at the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservancy!

Happy Loon Fact Friday!
Loons build their nests during the day, with both adults sharing the work. Because the male usually chooses the nest site he may get a head start on construction. They gather plants from nearby or even pull them up from the lake bottom, tossing the material onto the nest and gradually shaping it. The nest takes form as the adult sits on it, pressing and adjusting the materials to fit its body while pulling in more from the surrounding area.
Early in the season, building a nest can take about a week but later on it may be finished in just a day. Even after the eggs are laid, loons keep adding material, especially if water levels rise and the nest needs to be built up.
The nests are made from a mix of plant species, usually forming a large rounded mound. If a nest is successful loons often return to reuse it year after year, particularly if the same male comes back. If an early nesting attempt fails they’ll try again at a new spot, sometimes not far from the original. And if that second attempt doesn’t work they may even return to their first site.

To learn more go to: adkloon.org/loon-facts