Canadian Lakes Loon Survey - 2012 Results

This year was an interesting year for observing loons on our lake.

Not only were there no offspring born, and while there was one definite "pair" of loons, they did not build a nest.

Nowhere could a nest be found, even in what are traditional nesting areas.

Historically, loon offspring are not born every year on our lake and there are several reasons why this happens.

Loon Lake is a Trent Severn Waterway reservoir lake and this year the water level was held  high for a long time and then it was dropped - just before nesting time - and  it never recovered because of the very dry summer. Adding to the problem,  the water level continued to drop as the summer progressed. This created an excessive distance between what would have been the nest elevation and the water. Simply put, a  loon could not get to and from it's nest.

Loons need a good site for a nest and Loon Lake does not have many areas that are good for building nests. A good nesting area is where the approach to the nest is touching the water and remains that way throughout the nesting season. And the nest must be near building materials, in a undisturbed area, and inaccessible to predators.

So with unacceptable water levels and poor site locations, it's logical that  the loons don't build many nests on Loon Lake and that offspring aren't born every year.

We can only hope for a better year for the loons next year!