Nelson and Linda have been scurrying about the study area to see which of our 200 or so banded pair members are back. Thanks for battling the elements to do this vital task, you two! (Thanks too to Joel and Al for important lake visits.)
We have some exciting developments to report. First of all, our oldest male breeder — at least 28, and likely older — is back on Townline Lake. Linda took the above photo of “SROG”. He looks none the worse despite his 24+ years of territory defense. Another old-timer, female WSYY, is also still alive at 29+, as Nelson spotted her as an intruder on Flannery, her former territory. As some may recall, her heroic efforts as single mom on Flannery likely allowed her to fledge a chick in 2015, despite great odds.) SROG and WSYY were actually paired on Townline from 1995 to 1997 and produced two chicks together during that span.
Another old-timer that has reappeared is the displaced South Two female. This bird, “SGWO”, who is upwards of 27 years, was seen alone on nearby Wind Pudding Lake by Nelson. I have mentioned her before, as she lost her mate in early September of 2013, at the time when their two chicks were adult-sized. SGWO re-paired with a young male in 2014 and fledged a chick with him in 2015. Since then, though, we have not seen her. So it was exciting to see that she has become another resilient female!
Blue Lake residents might be interested to learn that the pair membership from the southeast corner has changed after the imbroglio last summer. Despite suffering resounding defeats in battle, the Blue-Southeast male, father of the chicks from 2013-2016, has regained control of the territory (for the moment?). His mate, however, is an 8-year-old female from Franklin Lake in Forest County who battled the Blue-West female in 2014, but gave up that effort and hung out on Blue as a floater for the past few years. Let’s hope that this new partnership places the territory on firm footing again.
We are still wrapping up our census of the study lakes. Below is the list of lakes covered to date, with identities of new pair members listed, if any:
Alva — both pair members back from 2016
Arrowhead – new M; female back
Bass — M back; F unbanded
Bear — both back from 2016
Bird — M, F both unbanded 🙁
Blue-Southeast — M back from 2013-2016; F – 8-year old from Franklin Lk (Forest Co.)
Blue-West — M and F both back from 2016
Bobcat — M, F both back
Bolger — M, F both back
Boom-Bass — M, F both back
Boom-Hodag — M back; F back from 2014-2015
Brandy — M back from 2015; F back
Bridge — M, F both back
Brown — M, F both back
Buck — M, F both back
Burrows — M – NEW! (ex-Swamp male now here); F back from 2015
Carrol — M, F both back
Clara — M, F both back
Clear2-North — M, F both back
Coon — M, F both back
Crystal — M, F both back
Cunard — M, F both back
Currie — M, F both back
Deer — M back, F unbanded
East Horsehead — M-NEW! (4-year old hatched onLittle Bearskin Lake!!); F back
Fawn — M, F both back
Flannery — M back; F uncertain
Fox — M back; F unbanded
Gilmore — M, F both back
Halfmoon — M, F both back
Hancock — M,F both back
Harrison Flowage — M – NEW! (unbanded); F back
Hasbrook — M, F both back
Hildebrand — M, F both GONE!! (Horrible)
Hilts — M back from early 2016; F back
Hodstradt — M, F both back
Horsehead-North — M, F both back
Hughitt — M, F both back
Jersey City Flowage — M back, F unbanded
Johnson — M – NEW! (6-year-old from Clawson Lake); F – NEW!…but unbanded! 🙁
Julia — M, F both unbanded
Katherine – South — M, F both back
Kawaguesaga-North — M- NEW! (21+ year-old Bolger male); F back
Langley — M, F both back
Lee — M, F both back
Liege — M, F both back
Little Bearskin — M, F both back
Long (off of Fawn Lk Rd) — M, F both back
Long (next to Brown Lk) — M, F both back
Lower Kaubashine — M, F both unbanded
Lumen — M, F both back
Manson — M, F both back
McCormick — M, F both unbanded
McGrath — M-NEW! (8 year-old from Tomahawk-Echo Bay), F back
Mercer — M, F both back
Mildred — M-NEW! (7 year-old from East Horsehead); F – uncertain ID
Miller — M back, F NEW! (9-year-old from Currie (!))
Minocqua-Huber Bay — M back; F-NEW! (7 year-old from Shishebogama, Vilas County)
Mirror — M, F both back
Muskellunge (Oneida Co.) — M (another 28+ year-old back on old territory!); F unbanded
Muskellunge (Lincoln Co.) — M, F both back
Muskie — M, F both back
Nokomis – East-central — M, F both back
North Nokomis — M back from 2015, F back
North Two — M, F both back
O’Day — M, F both back
Oneida-East — M, F both back
Oneida-West — M back; F NEW! (7 year-old from North Crab-Vilas Co.)
Oscar-Jenny — M back from late 2016; F back
Pickerel-North — M, F both back
Pickerel-South — M, F both back
Pickerel-West — M, F both back
Pier — M back, F-unbanded
Pine — M, F both back
Prairie — M, F both back
Rice River Flowage — M-unbanded; F back
Samway — M-unbanded; F back
Schlect — M, F both back
Seventeen — M, F both back
Sherry — M – NEW! (5 year-old from Anvil Lake, Vilas Co.); F back
Silver — neither pair member back!!
Silverbass — M, F both back
Skunk — M – NEW! (unbanded); F back
Soo — M, F both back
South Two — M, F both back (M is unbanded)
Spider — M, F both back
Squash-Northwest — M, F both back
Squash-Southeast — M, F both back
Squaw — M, F both back
Swanson — M back from 2015; F back
Sweeney — M back (on Buffalo); F unbanded
Thompson — M unbanded; F back
Thunder — M, F both back
Tom Doyle — M – NEW! (unbanded now); F back
Towanda — M, F both back
Two Sisters-East — M – NEW! (unbanded); F back
Two Sisters-West — M back, F unbanded
Upper Kaubashine — M, F both back
Verna — M, F both back
Virgin — M, F both back
Washburn — M, F both back
West Horsehead — M, F both back
Great work, team, to get those data. Please let me know, anyone, if you have questions about any loons that I have listed or find an error. I myself will finally be up in the study area within a week. I can’t wait to get back!