Loons: Bringing Up Babies Dr. Walter Piper's Video Clip of Loon Family Watch It Now Tips Loons have surged north to their finish line and a new nesting season! As soon as loons arrive back on their territories, they start courting. It's urgent to nest as soon as possible, especially when they arrive on their breeding grounds late. After the nest is built and the eggs are laid, it takes about a month for the eggs to hatch. And it takes 3 - 4 months for the young loons to be ready to fly. If the eggs are laid too late, the baby loons won't be ready to fly before their lakes freeze, especially in the northern reaches of their range. Loon researcher Dr. Walter Piper knows that many people never get to see a loon up close, so he shares this video clip for a special treat. The chicks in the video are about 7 weeks old. They provide close to half of their own food at this age. Notice how the family group stays close together. The babies are still refining their fishing skills. What else are they learning from the parents? Baby On Board Photo Woody Hagge Most birds lay their eggs in nests, and the nestlings remain in the nest for days or weeks. Not loons! It would be incorrect to call loon chicks "nestlings" for more than a few hours. Once they leave the nest, they're out of there for good! They can swim by themselves for a little while, but when they get chilled, they climb onto one of their parents' backs and snuggle under a wing. What things do the chicks know instinctively? How do they cope when their parents leave them, around the time they're 11 weeks old and they can't fly yet? They will have to learn many things all by themselves: how to fly; how to find all their own food; how to protect themselves against predators; and how, when, and where to migrate. Sometimes people think it's cruel of the parents to abandon the babies like this. But there is a very good reason for it. Loons can't walk on land. Before the babies can fly, they can't leave their lake—even if the lake runs out of food. So the parents leave the lake in order to ensure that there will be enough food remaining for their precious babies. Find more about baby loons and some fun activities here: Baby on Board! This loon parent appears to be making the alarm call. What do you think is disturbing it? Keeping Babies Safe Each pair of loons only lays two eggs, and they're lucky if both babies reach adulthood. Baby loons face all kind of dangers--coyotes, raccoons, foxes, even gulls and Bald Eagles eat baby loons! But the biggest danger they face is from humans and human actions. What are three of the most deadly human-caused dangers to loons? What can be done? See: Help Keep Loon Babies Safe Try This! Journaling Question Loons only lay 2 eggs while many ducks lay 8-12 eggs. Think of some important differences between loons and ducks to explain this, by answering: Why must ducks raise so many more eggs than loons to have a stable population? Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form