by Bob Moe, Co-chair, Loon Committee

[Note: At the Annual Meeting, Bob Moe announced that the count of loon chicks, reported as nine in the Summer issue of the TMLA Newsletter, proved to be in fact eleven chicks -- a new nesting pair in Kenfield Bay had been missed.]

AUGUST 28, 2002:

Loons are beginning to gather in groups (raft) on the main part of the lake as of this last week in August. I recorded three groups with at least 7 in a group about 4 days ago. Rafting behavior is a precursor to the gathering of adults to fly south later in the Fall. The hatch of chicks from this year will not leave until very late in the fall (2 or 3 weeks after the adults fly out).

All 11 juveniles appear to be thriving, so this has been a very successful year for Ten Mile in the production of an on-going and healthy Loon population. The floating platforms and buoys will be taken out of the lake (or have been taken out) and readied for next year's arrival of our resident flock.

By the way, the adopted baby (apparently separated from a two-chick family on the South Shore and adopted by a two-chick family on the North Shore) is still in evidence in Flower Pot Bay, where that family of 5 loons is doing well.