06/07/2022
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Two days ago the FWP, USDA and Montana Loon Society placed four buoys in Lake Five to protect a newly discovered loon nest. These buoys are placed to warn all users of the lake (boaters, swimmers, fishermen, users of kayak, paddle boards and canoes, plus machines that produce foreign-to-birds sounds-such as drones and LOUD music) to maintain a significant distance from the nest and the swimming birds.
Montana has approximately 200 loons returning to the state each year. Old timers in this area remember loons on Lake Five long ago. Loons are territorial, claiming a territory of about two square miles. No loons have nested on Lake Five in the past few decades. So, the return of the loons to Lake Five is a BIG EVENT! Loons are described as “stubborn” because of their endeavor to nest in the same location each year. If a nest fails this year, the loon pair can be expected to return to Lake Five and try again to successfully nest in May 2023.
The loon incubation period is about 28 days. The baby loon adapts quickly to the water and the nest is then abandoned. The baby will grow from weighing a couple ounces at birth to an almost adult size of six to eight pounds. It takes thee years for a loon to mature to adulthood..
The loons must leave their territorial lake before ice forms in the fall because they need a water runway to gain elevation for flying. Loons winter in a warmer climate, returning the next spring almost as soon as the ice leaves the lake.
Adult loons weigh between eight and fourteen pounds. The males are slightly bigger than the females; Loons can live as long as 30 years.
https://www.friendsoflakefive.net/news
