Mina caught the tail end of the battle. By the time he arrived for his observations, the territorial male on Blue-Southeast was on his heels. No doubt shell-shocked from a beating he had received from an aggressive four-year-old male that had lurked in the neighborhood for two years and was making a play for territory ownership, the territorial male beat a hasty retreat, actually flying off of the lake with another intruder.

The strategic retreat of the territorial male left his mate in dire straits. Without another parent to engage intruders, the female alone had to defend the week-old chick from the aggressive onslaught of the four-year-old male. The situation was hopeless, the suspense only fleeting. The young male quickly discovered the chick and — in the grisliest moment we have observed while studying loons — snatched the chick out of the water and carried it for a time while pursuing the retreating female. When he dropped the lifeless youngster, it was over.

When the shock wears off, we will one burning question about this episode: “Why is Blue-Southeast the site of such frequent territorial controversy?” Can it be coincidence? One must never be hasty to rule out chance, but I think that is not the explanation here. Rather, evictions of the territorial male in 2015 and the same individual again this year resulted from his relatively poor fighting ability. Intruding loons are adept at sniffing out weakness in territorial residents. When a breeding male or female is unable to drive competitors forcefully off of the lake, intruders congregate, leading to further confusion and attempted evictions, in a disheartening positive feedback cycle. The Blue-Southeast male, while a capable parent, has often encountered intruding males that he could not drive off of the territory in years past. It is quite possible that his troubles in 2015 occasioned more territorial challenges in 2016 by the same set of challengers.

I am by nature a rather negative person, always quick to point out the downside of every cheery situation. But I see one bright spot here. If the usurper of the territory and killer of the chick becomes the territorial male, he would appear to be a strong and aggressive individual and one likely to defend the territory with greater success than his predecessor. This 2012-hatched product of nearby Bolger Lake would be a record-setter too, since he would be the youngest male ever documented to seize a territory by force. (Most young males, like very old males, settle on vacant territories rather than fighting their way onto occupied ones.) I wish I could offer more meaningful solace to Blue Lake residents, who will be dismayed at today’s turn of events. The best I can do is to suggest that the future for the Blue-Southeast pair is likely to be brighter than the recent past.