We may see a baby loon (or loons) on Winona very soon. A nest has been spotted on the lake and mama loon is roosting on one or two eggs. I’m not disclosing the location to protect the privacy of the loon. However, if you do know about the nest or stumble across it please be advised that the Loon Preservation Society suggests that people stay 150 feet from all loons, whether on a nest, with chicks or even resting on top of the water.

Usually chicks are hatched in late June and this nesting may be a second effort to hatch a chick. It is very late for a chick, but it is still possible over the next week or two. Let’s hope it is successful as loon chicks have become a rarity on Lake Winona. According to Linda Heminway, a few years ago loon eggs were found abandoned, which is sign that they were “infertile.”

Here is a video about loons on Squam Lake that parallels the loon situation on Winona.