As autumn settles into Devil's Lake State Park and the surrounding Sauk County area, we're…
It was wonderful to hear the calls of the loons once again echoing off of the walls of the bluffs at Devil’s Lake State Park early this morning! It wasn’t too many years ago that it would have been a shock to see a loon on the lake, but over the last few years, we’ve had a few that hang around most of the summer season.
Did you know?
Loons are true waterbirds, and only go on land to mate and incubate eggs. They’re great swimmers, but on land, they’re a bit awkward!
Loons are fast fliers clocked at over 70 mph in the air!
Loons are like seaplanes! They need a long liquid runway between 30 yards to a quarter-mile to take off! According to “All About Birds” they sometimes will land on wet roads or parking lots and will become stranded because they need open water to take off!
The oldest recorded loon was about 30 years old.
Loons eat about 2 pounds of food per day! They will also eat things like bugs and crayfish.
The Common Loon is protected by State and Federal laws as a migratory, nongame bird.
It is also a species of Special Concern in Wisconsin. Current estimates put the Wisconsin
loon population at 3,131 nesting adults. This compares to more than 12,000 loons in
Minnesota and fewer than 800 in Michigan.
No Loons or Frozen Loons?
Now according to some sources, loons don’t live in this part of the state at all, and then according to the popular crowdsourced site Ebird.com, common loons have been spotted on the lake since early March. However, the lake was frozen until just a few days ago… So… take that as you will. 🙂
Ref: Common Loon Facts – UW Stevens Point, All About Loons, Adirondack Council & AllAboutBirds.com
For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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Are the lake flies out yet? I’m curious when to expect those. Do the loons eat those?
Yes. I’m not sure if the loons eat them, but certainly many birds and swallows do.