Common Loons -- Minnesota Bound




Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/Celebrating ... jee6YVsGIs" rel="nofollow">Common Loons Mating

A Common Loon family has taken residency on this nesting platform, located in Central Minnesota and built by Larry Backlund, for over a decade.

Gavia immer
Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae

The cam is sponsored by Minnesota Bound. It has both sound and night vision.

Minnesota Bound
Wildearth TV

Link for 2013 season

Link to web log: http://mnbound.com/larrys-loon-blog/

Thank you to Beans for suggesting a thread for this camera

Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/Celebrating ... mQRFgtU1wg" rel="nofollow">Minnesota Loons Have an Egg in Their Nest

These birds have disappeared from some lakes in eastern North America due to the effects of acid rain and pollution, as well as lead poisoning from fishing sinkers and mercury contamination from industrial waste. Artificial floating nesting platforms have been provided for loons in some lakes to reduce the impact of changing water levels due to dams and other human activities.

The Great Northern Loon is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

This diver is well-known in Canada, appearing on the "loonie" coin and the previous series of $20 bill, and is the provincial bird of Ontario. Also, it is the state bird of Minnesota.

The voice and appearance of the Great Northern Loon has made it prominent in several Native American tales. These include a story of a loon which created the world in a Chippewa story; a Micmac saga describes Kwee-moo, the loon who was a special messenger of Glooscap, the tribal hero; native tribes of British Columbia believed that an excess of calls from this bird predicted rain, and even brought it; and the tale of the loon’s necklace was handed down in many versions among Pacific Coast peoples. Folk names include big loon, black-billed loon, call-up-a-storm, ember-goose, greenhead, guinea duck, imber diver, ring-necked loon, and walloon.

Source: Wikipedia

Beans I had no idea they'd finally laid an egg. Nice to see and I hope we see many more
I'm assuming this is Mom incubating.
The wind is blowing something fierce.

Sunday, May 16, 2010
Mom sitting on her eggs in the sunshine.
I keep thinking those plants look a lot like irises.


9:08 am
Mom went for a swim and we can now see the eggs.

9:09 am
Mom returning to the nest.


Giving the eggs a good roll.


9:10 am
Settles in to incubate

Video: Night Loon Calls

Can you match the calls in the above video with one of the loon calls on the BLOG?

May 17 BLOG with links to several different loon calls