This week, we hear about early fall colors at Long Lake, late-hatching loon chicks in Ontario, and some successful frog-hunting at Sugar Lake Lodge.
Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to us by Lily and a cohort of future teachers from Minnesota North - Itasca who visited Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade.
“The high temperature was 77 degrees and the low was 55. There are signs of fall everywhere.
“Two signs of note are that the wild sarsaparilla in the forest have changed colors and Long Lake’s loons have left. We suspect they’ve moved to a larger lake, where they’ll raft up and fly south in a month or so. They didn’t have any loonlets, so there's no reason to stick around.
“Other observations from our trip were: Asters in full bloom, beavers along the lake shore, pitcher plants are in bloom, mushrooms are growing (including crown-tipped coral and chicken of the woods), swans are on the land and small wood frogs, spring peepers and toads.
“It was a great week in nature, and we want to remind everyone to unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!”
Sugar Lake Lodge near Grand Rapids
Charlie near Kenora, Ontario
"Hi John! Last week, I returned from a glorious ten days in Ontario. I was visiting a family cabin on the Winnipeg River, about 40 minutes north of Kenora.
"I’m happy to report on a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience with a family of loons.
"It all started when we were distracted taking a picture of a white pine tree my dad and I planted two decades ago. My dog, seeing we were otherwise occupied, took advantage of the situation and set off to cause trouble.
"He attempted to swim a 20-foot channel between our peninsula and a tiny rock island, where our local pair of loons was attempting - for the third time this summer - to hatch their eggs.
"These loons build their nests each year quite close to the cabin where my parents spend most of their summer. This makes for some very exciting loon-watching for them, and we are all quite emotionally invested in their success and enjoy the small wildlife dramas that play out day-by-day.
"This year, their first nest was destroyed by a hungry eagle, so my parents built them a little shelter to hide underneath. The second nest was inundated when an upstream dam let out a lot of water into the Winnipeg system, raising the water level and drowning their two eggs. We were all quite surprised when the parents tried a third time - this would certainly be their last chance this summer. So, you can imagine our frustration and fear when my dog went swimming out there to mess with them.
"Luckily, he was a Very Good Boy and returned to us when called, so he didn’t make any contact with the loons. However, he did scare them. Both parents left the nest site - a bad sign, since loons are known to abandon their nests if disturbed too aggressively or too often. However, a closer look revealed a wondrous surprise - a baby chick was swimming alongside the parents!
"Since I’m a weird little forest creature with goblin-like tendencies, I really wanted to admire the little chick’s newly-vacated egg. Once the loon family had safely left the area, and my dog was secured in the house, I went swimming over to the nest.
"To my delight, I found not just the empty egg, but another egg with a pipping chick clearly visible inside! The little chick had just managed to open a small hole, but I could see its beak as it chirped and pecked at the opening. It was utterly adorable, and a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience.
"Despite my joy at finding this little shelled gift from the nature gods, we were very concerned that the little guy was left alone without its parents for protection. We hoped the loon parents would come back soon, but in the meantime, my wife guarded the egg closely to make sure no scavenging creatures were prowling about. (I had to drop my Dad off in town, otherwise you can better believe I would be right there with a pair of binoculars, my bite-proof gloves, and a righteous fire in my heart.)
"To our immense relief, after about an hour, one parent returned to guard the nest. Four hours later, the other parent and first chick also returned. Reassured, we spent a wonderful, calm evening watching one adult catching fish and bringing them back to the growing family.
"The next morning, we woke up to find two adult loons and no chicks. We grabbed the binoculars, fearing the worst - and were delighted to see two tiny, charcoal-colored chicks riding on the back of one of the parents. My little pipping friend had made it!
"We are very proud of the loon parents’ perseverance, and hope the chicks grow up and learn to fly very, very quickly. These valuable summer days are vanishing too quickly for my comfort, and the ice in Ontario arrives early. However, these young loons already overcome some pretty steep odds, so I’m not betting against the adorable little fuzzballs."
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
