Baby Loons in the BWCA
Have you seen loon chicks on your canoe trip in the BWCA this year? Guest sightings of loon chicks are down this year. I think it could be due to the fact we started out spring with very low water levels that quickly became very high water levels.
Our abnormally high water level may have affected the number of chicks that were born this year. A loon’s nest may have been built early in the season too close to the water and could have been flooded out. Or the high water could cause waves to wash eggs out of a loon’s nest. I haven’t done any research but it seems like there are fewer loon chicks around this summer.
The good news is we have seen some loon chicks and the platform nesting loons at Chik-Wauk hatched 2 baby loons this year. The floating platform prevented that loon’s nest from being flooded! There are still plenty of adult loons around and maybe they are just doing a good job at protecting their young by keeping them out of our sight.
If you’ve been in the BWCA and have spotted loon chicks then drop me a line and let me know when and where. THANKS!