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By Donna Love
(Editor's note: the following report by Donna Love on loons and their nesting habits and population in the Seeley Swan Chain of Lakes is the second of a three-part series. It will conclude next week.)
May 18, 2000
Seeley Swan Pathfinder
Seeley Lake, Montana
For Your Eyes Only
The loons on Alva were on their nest May 12, but lost their nest by May 29 due to high water. They attempted a late renest around June 8. Loons can lay a second clutch if the first attempt fails, but the second attempt has a high failure rate. After loosing a nest they usually pick a different site, Alva's second nest was in the same place as the first one on the northwest shoreline. It seemed strange to see a nest on shore after seeing so many on islands.
Rainy Lake's pair was nesting by May 21, but the nest was outside the sanctuary signs, which had been put around their usual site. The signs were moved, but the nest may have also flooded. No known renest attempt was made.
Placid Lake's loons were observed nesting on May 15. They were the same birds banded on the lake in 1996 and were the only "normal" pair this year. It will be interesting to see how long that pair continues to return to Placid.
Seeley's pair was seen on the nest site on Tuesday, May 25. They were on the same little island as last year in nearly the same place. They appeared to be fighting. First one would be on the nest then the other would hop on top and fight and they'd both roll off. Then they'd repeat the process. After three times they dove and didn't return. Puzzling over their behavior, I was halfway home before it dawned on me that I had just witnessed (and video taped) Seeley's loons mating. On Thursday, May 27 a loon was sitting quietly on the nest while the other fed in the main waters of the lake. Our loons had finally nested - just in time for the Loon and Fish Festival loon tours on that weekend.
Empty Nest
About the same time that Montana's loons nest, bald eagle chicks hatch. Salmon Lake's eagles produced two gawky, healthy chicks.
On May 26, Seeley's eagles flew back and forth from the lake to their nest with fish dangling from their talons. Then they would stand on the side of the nest bobbing their heads up and down into the nest. This is suspicious behavior signifying that their chicks had hatched.
I was away for the next couple of weeks and when I returned the eagles were gone. The nest was deserted. Occasionally throughout the summer one adult would be seen, but they didn't return to their nest. It would be impossible to say what happened.
Placid Lake?
In June it was evident that only three large lakes in the Clearwater Drainage had nesting loons. Seeley and Alva would hatch late and Placid's chicks were due in mid-June. Placid Lake is a large round, brown-colored lake fed by Placid Creek, which flows through cattle grazing country in the southeastern extension of the Mission Mountains. The lake is a part of the Clearwater Drainage, but isn't on the Clearwater River. Owl Creek, its outlet waters, enters the Clearwater River north of Salmon Lake.
Almost totally surrounded by homes Lynn was especially concerned for Placid's loons. A two story house built on the last bastion of land 25 feet from the shoreline and a stone's throw from the loon's nest could displace them. The lake is now completely surrounded by homes except at its marshy backwaters. Assured by the new owners that the house is intended for use during the months of July and August the MLS will watch Placid's loons carefully in coming seasons. In 1999 the nesting loons were able to pull off two chicks on June 6 and 7.
It's a Boyor a GirlOr Both!
Seeley's chicks were due on June 26, an unfortunate date for it was the first day of a pike-fishing tournament. The tournament had been scheduled for two weeks earlier. Concerned that that would fall in the middle of hatching, MFWP moved the date of the tournament back, but because our loons nested late, the tournament fell on the same weekend that our chicks hatched. It helped that the weather was cool and rainy. Boater turnout was not substantial. The few that were there were fishing in the loon's nursery area near the nest. We find this slightly ironic. To protect their chicks loons chase big fish out of their nesting and nursery areas.
On June 26 one loon parent was on the nest and beside it the other parent was swimming around a small black dot. The nesting loon got off the nest and swam by the black dot. The other loon stretched and dove. The remaining loon got back on the nest and the black dot hopped up beside it. Hey, wait a minute. A black dot can't do that. We had a chick! The nesting loon took quite a while to settle in. That evening one restless parent was still sitting on the nest wiggling around.
On the morning of Sunday, June 27 three boats moved through the north end of the lake for the 2nd day of the tournament. One loon was swimming near the boats in a neck stretched up, alert position. It paddled slowly and didn't dive. It's possible that the chick was with it. On Monday the adult loons were in the nursery area at the northeast corner of the lake. Two chicks were with them. This was cause for a celebration. Last year Seeley only had one chick.
Breaking Records
Now Placid and Seeley had two chicks each and we had one lake to go. Alva's late renest attempt was successful so far. The big worry was the Fourth of July weekend. No chicks in Montana had ever been hatched after the Fourth of July. Cool, rainy weather kept the lake quiet. On July 6 the Forest Service Campground Host reported seeing one chick.
On the evening of July 7 and the loon family was far from the nest and too far away to verify if they had chicks. The campground-host still reported seeing only one chick. Tim, my husband and I returned on July 8 with a canoe. The loon pair was closer and it was evident that they only had one chick. We attempted an egg hunt as we had last year on Seeley, but we were in for a big surprise.
Instead of an egg in the nest we found a tiny dead loon chick lying on its side beside its eggshell and egg sac, which is an inner lining to the egg that looks like a thick, white, deflated balloon. It is possible that the chick was the second chick that hatched because the parents hadn't removed the shells and sac from the nest. They do this to keep predators with a keen sense of smell from finding the nest. The downy, dark brown chick looked perfectly formed, with miniscule bill, soft brown eyes, miniature wings and little webbed feet. The only visible problem was a half-inch slit from the base of its bill down its throat. As we retrieved the chick, shells and sac, we noticed tiny dried fish lying beside it evidence that the parents had tried to feed it.
The shells and sac were sent to Maine where they will be tested for contaminants such a methylmercury. The chick will be mounted and put with the loon already on display at the Seeley Lake Ranger Station. The taxidermist at Bird Works in Missoula thought that the opening in its throat might have had something to do with its death. We requested that the chick be mounted by May so that it could be on display for the Loon and Fish Festival. Even though it died, its sibling has the notoriety of being the latest hatched loon chick in all of Montana.
Loons Count
On Loon Day, Saturday, July 17 MLS members counted loons on their area lakes. We counted loons on Seeley Lake and then, Tote where a loon had been seen in the spring. Tote Lake is a large pond on Woodworth Road. It isn't big enough to support a loon family, but can be used by loons foraging for food. No loons were there. We also were assigned counting loons on Marshall Lake, where the Forest Service lynx researchers reported seeing a pair. We found two.
Marshall Lake is high on the east side of the Mission Mountains. The road around it is high above the lake. Looking down from that vantage point we could watch the loons swimming underwater. To swim, loons don't "dog paddle." They swing both feet out and back in unison. On the return stroke they swing their legs in and forward. They do not use their wings to swim. In the clear mountain lake we could see this completely.