Vermilion Lake Association

05/30/2026

05/27/2026

Dad Loon went for a swim about 845p on May 26, the first day we've been able to bring you the Live LoonCam. And to our delight, this is what we saw. Two eggs in the nest!

You can watch the loon family on our Live LoonCam any time of the day or night (thanks to the infrared capability of our Axis P1465-LE cam):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90fGYoHgco..or you can get there via our VLA website, where you can also go back in time to see posts about our loon family over the years:
https://www.vermilionlakeassociation.org/loon-nest-live-camera-2026/

Thanks to Access Broadband of Virginia, Minnesota, for the WiFi broadband power for our livestream.
-- Noel Sederstrom for the VLA's Live LoonCam team

05/26/2026

We've got two beautiful eggs in "our" loons' nest on Lake Vermilion. Our Live LoonCam is "up" at last, thanks to a new Ethernet cable installed this noon by Bill Michaelson and Tom Tamte. You can watch the loons any time on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90fGYoHgco

We'd like to thank Access Broadband of Virginia, Minnesota, for the awesome upload power to get this livestream to the internet!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/25/2026

Lost! A loon platform floating in Wake-em-up Bay went rogue a few days ago. If you see it floating around, it belongs to the VLA. Please DM us a location (there was no loon nesting on it.) (This photo was taken before it was placed in the water😜)

05/24/2026

Loons most often have a two-egg clutch, but sometimes they will lay just one egg and in extremely rare occasions may lay as many as three. Eggs are typically laid 1–3 days apart.

Once the first egg is laid, incubation is typically sporadic until the clutch is complete. After their clutch is complete, the loons begin to incubate the eggs much more consistently. Egg development requires pretty precise temperature regulation, and as such, the loons must incubate more or less constantly. To achieve this, the male and female take turns tending the nest, usually in shifts lasting 2-6 hours. During the first week of incubation, the male may spend a bit more time on the nest than the female, doing 50–60% of the incubating. This may allow the female more time to forage in order to recover from the energetic demands of producing and laying two large eggs. But by week four of incubation, females are typically doing up to 60% or more of the incubating.

Photo credit: Virginia and Daniel Poleschook

05/22/2026

Great work by the Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, with support from onX, the Minnesota DNR and MeatEater! Check out the video below and read more about their Pine Island WMA stewardship and habitat project here: https://sportsmenbwca.org/working-for-wildlife-tour-pine-island-wma-restoration-project/

05/19/2026

The VLA's LoonCam Marine Team carefully laid the ethernet cable and set up our Axis P1465-LE camera and parabolic mic on a post in the water around midday on Sunday. Mom Loon had only chosen the spot two days earlier, and promptly laid an egg. It was quite an impressive scene on Sunday, with Mom Loon watching the humans only feet away. It's as if she senses we are not a threat to her and her nest. There are a lot of people nearby, with cabins and boaters all around. The loons just blend in.

We hope and expect the loon and her mate will guard their nest for the next four weeks or so, attempting to bring new loon chicks to Lake Vermilion. They have returned to this spot for many years.

We're now working to establish an internet connection, and hope to have a Live LoonCam image for you to watch soon. For now, enjoy these few shots and a video clip from Sunday! Thanks to Bill Michaelson for leading this fine team, with Tom Tamte, Nancy Swanson and Rick Teeter helping make it happen.
-- Noel Sederstrom

05/19/2026

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE DNR!

Moccasin Point Construction Update and Schedule as of May 18, 2026
· Site remains open to public for launching and retrieving watercraft through May 31. Parking will be very limited throughout May.
· Tree clearing and topsoil removal continues. Restricted areas have been signed and cordoned off.
· Any personal property will need to be off site by May 31 or it will be removed.
· June 1: Site closes to public from land and water.
· Commercial traffic may use the site at contractor’s discretion
· St. Louis County will post highway signs on Co 115 and at Bradley Road stating
“Moccasin Point Public Water Access closed June 1 - Nov”

Rock removal: Drilling and blasting beginning June 1. There will be 1-2 “shots” per day for 2-3 weeks. One shot mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. Blasting to be completed by July 9. A blast horn will sound 5 minutes prior to each blast and the perimeter secured including the lake surface.
The site clearing and rock removal are highly visible (and will be very audible) from this high traffic location on the lake.

Contractors are being strictly monitored for compliance with all permitting, erosion and stormwater practices, etc.

Reopening anticipated Fall 2026.

05/16/2026

https://mailchi.mp/nationallooncenter/calling-all-interns-to-continue-a-national-legacy-16544970?e=d26e397c0f

Loon calls are ringing throughout the Northwoods as nesting season is in full effect! They’re beautiful even to the untrained ear, but any lover of lake life should know what they mean. To prepare you for a morning dock sit or an evening boat cruise this summer, here’s a quick crash course on th...

05/16/2026

Great news for your weekend! “Our” Mom Loon has picked a spot, made a nest, laid an egg, and is on duty with her #1 job. Our marine team will be focusing on getting our Live LoonCam in the water nearby so we can all watch.
— Noel Sederstrom