Loon Chick Mortality

This week a tragic incident occurred on Loon Lake - the death of a loon chick.

While not nice to hear about, death among loon chicks is relatively common.

While it was thought that perhaps the chick had been a victim of a boating incident, there are several other reasons why chicks die.

Loon Lake’s chick had lived for 11 days and it had survived nest failure and predatory activities from large fish, snapping turtles, and birds of prey.

One of the more prevalent reasons for chicks passing is related to familial activities. When there is a sibling, very often the mother cannot provide enough food for both chicks and the chick that gets the most food survives. And occasionally the dominant chick of a pair will injure it’s sibling, leading to it’s demise. Another reason chicks may not survive is that they are killed by adult loons. A rogue or visiting loon may kill chicks because it does not want them in it’s surroundings - possibly for genetic reasons.  

Nature can be harsh and we can only hope that Loon Lake’s remaining chick survives.