Fall's Journey South Update: November 5, 1999 Today's Report Includes: Loony About Loons The Sissebagama Loon Family Growing Up Fast Ready, Set, Go Which Way is South? Watch Out for Winter: Challenge Question #5 Worm Watch! Discussion of Challenge Question #4 Get Ready to Track the Loon Migration Next Spring! Loony About Loons All summer, loon parents on northern lakes have cared for their chicks. Together they were swimming, dozing, diving, catching fish, eating, and taking care of their feathers. When fall arrived, this routine changed. Doug Dunlap, who lives on a northern lake, shared loon family observations with us in this report. We also talked to Ted Gostomski of Loon Watch at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in Ashland, Wisconsin. We'll share Ted's knowledge with you, too. But first, do you know these facts about loons? Loons are excellent fliers. They fly at 60-70 mph, and sometimes as fast as 100 mph. Loon author and expert Judith W. McIntyre writes: "Our word loon comes from the early Scandinavian word lumme, meaning clumsy. Loons cannot walk very well on land, but must shuffle on and off their nests. They look awkward, and come to land only for mating and nesting." Loons are found in every province in Canada and are featured on the Canadian dollar coin, nicknamed the "loonie dollar." Loons have big feet! A proportionate human shoe size would be about 45 triple R! Early naturalists thought loons to be "underwater flyers," like auks and puffins, species that use both feet and wings for underwater propulsion. Many of today's scientists refute this, reporting observations of loons using only their feet while swimming. The Sissebagama Loon Family Doug Dunlap lives on Lake Sissebagama near Stone Lake, Wisconsin (45 N, 91 W). The lake is also home to a pair of loons that Doug watches with great interest and respect each season. The nesting pair arrives in the same spot every year, and Doug was thrilled when two loon chicks hatched June 8. Doug is careful to honor the loons' privacy and safety, but he knew the young had hatched by the "yelling" of the adults-it echoed across the lake like a proud birth announcement! Hear the loon call that Doug heard Growing Up Fast The brown-and-white Sissebagama chicks were diving and catching fish on their own by July 29, straying a little farther from their watchful parents. Their wings were getting more developed, and they were exercising them more. That's important, because loon chicks have only a short time to learn to dive, catch fish, protect themselves-and fly-before they leave on their first migration. Adult loons typically migrate ahead of the young, leaving them behind to fend for themselves. The chicks need a little more time to feed and strengthen muscles for their first-ever long distance journey. Even today, juveniles in some lakes are busy feeding themselves and doing practice flights for their first take-off. That means running across the water as they try to get airborne. While some chicks haven't yet accomplished take off, others are already winging on their first journey south. Most leave by the end of September, but some will stay until the lakes begin to freeze and they're forced to move on. Amazingly, young loons fly to the Atlantic Coast or Gulf Coast all by themselves! They won't be back for 3 or 4 years. That's because loons don't return to the nesting grounds until they are old enough to breed. Doug's last glimpse of an adult loon on the Lake Sissebagama was September 15. But he heard a loon call on October 18, and on the 21st Doug saw a young loon diving in the bay. By October 25, all the loons had left Lake Sissebagama. Ready, Set, Go Common Loon Winter and Breeding Range Map by Macalester College Doug's adult loons and most of the other adults from the north are gone. Ted reports that large numbers of loons are gathering this week on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. Adults still have their black-and-white wing feathers, but their body feathers are getting replaced by the brown-gray plumage of winter. The proof is in the beautiful feathers of the breeding plumage that are washing up on the beaches of Lake Michigan and the shores of other Great Lakes, where loon flocks are gathering in social groups to feed. These gatherings are signs that adult loons are starting to move out for the winter. Where have they come from, and where are they headed? The loons gathering on the Great Lakes in September during pre-migratory periods are not only birds from the Midwest's inland lakes. They also come from farther north. Ted guesses the loons make the flight down to their ocean wintering grounds with only one or two stops. Loons from Wisconsin and Minnesota, for example, fly to Lake Superior, then to Lake Michigan, then to the Atlantic coast and down to the Gulf Coast. Which Way is South? Young loons on their first migration as well as older adults fly alone. There can be loose flocks of 2 or 3 or 5 loons, but even those are strung out, reports Ted. So how do young loons know how to reach their winter homes? They've never been there, and no one shows them the way. Ted says, "The answer is still a mystery, and very little research has been done to give us answers about this aspect of loon migration. Loons seem to be born with instincts that tell them when and where to migrate." Loons fly by day, which suggests they use the sun or the magnetic pull of the earth to help them navigate, while night migrants can use the stars. After their first migration, memory of landforms and water bodies may help loons find their way. Watch Out for Winter What happens when loons stay behind too long? Read the story of little Puglet, a young loon rescued and given a temporary home in a bathtub and then a stream, until she could fend for herself. But things don't always end so well. Every year, Ted hears of loons that get frozen into a small pond or an area where they can't dive. This leaves them exposed to attack by owls and eagles, so wildlife officials often try to rescue the loons. Ted described rescue attempts where the whole lake is frozen except one small patch of open water where a loon remains. When people approach to attempt a rescue, the loon gets scared. It dives to get out of sight and it can't come up because there's no other open water. What starts as a rescue attempt ends in death for the loon. As you think about this and various clues in this report, see if you can answer: Challenge Question #5: "Why would it be a problem for a loon to be on a lake when ice starts forming?" (To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.) Worm Watch! Discussion of Challenge Question #4 Last week we asked, "Why do you see worms on sidewalks and driveways after it rains?" It might surprise you to know that the two answers below are only partly right, and there's more to the story: "To get more oxygen," said Raymond Yelle (yellerp@alfredtech.edu) "Worms crawl up onto the sidewalk after it rains because worms breathe through their skin, and if they stayed underground they would suffocate and drown." sciencejanetc@earthlink.net But the worm experts, who've been digging much deeper than the rest of us, have a surprising answer: Dr. Dennis Linden, Cindy Hale, and other worm experts say that worms do NOT surface to avoid drowning. In fact, they come to the surface during rains (especially in the spring) so they can move overland. The temporarily wet conditions give worms a chance to move safely to new places. Since worms breathe through their skin, the skin must stay wet in order for the oxygen to pass through it. After rain or during high humidity are safe times for worms to move around without dehydrating. It is true that, without oxygen, worms will suffocate. But earthworms can survive for several weeks under water, providing there is sufficient oxygen in the water to support them. One more thing: Remember what can happen to worms left in sunshine or daylight? Their skin dries out and they can no longer breathe. Naturalist Jim Gilbert has this friendly advice: "Next time you see earthworms under your garage door or on your sidewalk after a rain shower, why not pick them up and put them in a shady garden spot so they can safely go back into the soil. This could be your way of thanking the earthworm population for many jobs well done." Get Ready to Track the Loon Migration Next Spring! The date of northern ice-outs varies a lot from year to year, so people watching for loons often wonder how the loons seem to appear the first day-even within minutes-of when the ice is out. When temps warm and ice melts next spring, keep your eyes open for loons. When you see your FIRST loon of the season, remember to report it to Journey North. We're all looking forward to getting loony about loons! How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question: IMPORTANT: Please answer ONLY ONE question in each e-mail message! 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-fall@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #5 3. In the body of the message, answer the Challenge Question. The Next Journey South Update Will Be Posted on November 19, 1999 Copyright 1999 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. 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