The loons on Highland Lake began nesting for the second time after their first attempt failed for reasons we do not know on or about July 1st. As I write this update, they are half way through the incubation period. If all continues to go well, we could see a loon chick or two chicks arrive around August 1st.

This has been a challenging summer thus far with heavy rains and thunderstorms. Jason Dudek monitors the dam and has been keeping his eye on the water level. Thank you, Jason, for your care.

The photo shows the nest site – the white breast of the adult can be seen sitting on it. The nest is about sixteen to twenty inches from the water’s edge. Any sudden fluctuation of water level can pose a threat to the eggs. The big rock on the west side of the island and close to the site is helping to shelter the nest from waves. So far so good! 

If and when the chicks arrive, the loon family will most likely move to the northwest end of the lake near the inlet for the first week. They’ll need lots of space. Boaters on the lake will need to take extra precautions to avoid running over them as baby chicks cannot dive.

A long-time Loon News recipient who swims in the very early hours of the morning wrote, “I was so happy to see a boater being extra careful as they went past the island yesterday while I was swimming. It’s nice that the community is watching out for our loons. I used my Merlin app to see which birds were around (the app can identify a bird by its song) and one morning, there were American goldfinch, gray catbird, pine warbler, common loon, wood duck, and great crested flycatcher. Plus, I saw my silent friends, the blue heron and the bald eagle!”

Highland Lake is a place of much joy and celebration. It provides many species of wildlife a place to call home. For some species like our loons it’s a seasonal home. How lucky we are that they think it’s nice enough to come back year after year! In fact, the male in our pair, as far as we have recorded, has been coming back for more than fifteen years.