Per our normal routine, we got the artificial nest out as early as possible; it was deployed on April 25th. Unfortunately, this time period coincided with the when black flies appear in Northern Michigan. The loons were on the nest by May 12th but were off observed off the nest 4 days later. Between the black flies and the cold and windy weather, the nest took a beating and as a result, the loons abandoned their eggs.
Loons will not renest with dead eggs present. We removed them on May 24th and also pulled the nest into shore and rebuilt it. The nest was overrun with black flies. This has become a major challenge and, according to Michigan Loon Preservation Association (MLPA), hundreds of nests have been abandoned across the states, lowering their population sustaining needs. While mint plants can help, the small mint plants put on the nest were washed out and did nothing to repel the flies. Mint also loses its effectiveness over days. We’ve researched what could last a month plus without having environmental effects. Pyrethrin is a fast-acting botanical insecticide from the chrysanthemum. Bees and bugs leave the flowers alone because it’s toxic, once dry it doesn’t do anything. Permethrin is a synthetic copy designed to last and is used for spraying clothes only. After it’s dry it lasts up to 8 washings and repels ticks and black flies. This is toxic to fish if sprayed on water!
Since the permethrin is designed to spray on clothes and let it dry before wearing, we wanted to put some kind of cloth on the loon nest. Burlap came to mind, so we made some light frames and covered them with burlap, and sprayed them away from the lake. The branches were also sprayed as they were covered with black flies. After 24 hours of drying the nest was reassembled and relaunched.
The loons were around the nest later that evening May 27 and 3 days later sitting on it May 30. So we should have a chick at the end of the month. A month behind but still feasible. One BIG issue is the 4th of July boat traffic. Chicks can’t dive to avoid boats like adults. Chicks have been lost due to racing jet skis. Last year Silver Lake near Traverse City notified MLPA that a chick was hit by a jet ski and survived with its wing torn off; the chick needed to be euthanized.
Please, be alert for chicks the end of June. If you have friends and relative visiting over the holiday, please remind them to be careful and alert for chicks. While the chicks tend to feed in the west end for the first couple of weeks of their lives, they can be spotted anywhere around the lake.
