Inspired by the Lake Fairlee loons, Vermont’s loon expert was kind enough to answer some (mostly serious) questions for Northern Woodlands about loons generally.
Click on the image above to read the interview with Eric Hanson, a biologist for the Vermont Loon Conservation Project, on the Northern Woodlands website.
Photo by Tig Tillinghast
Finally some photos of our lake’s newest resident. S/he has been seen at many locations on the lake, in the company of one or both parents.
The juveniles are able to catch their own fish within two months and take flight at about 11 weeks. They are fully on their own at 12 weeks, when the parents begin migration in the fall. At this time, the young form flocks on northern lakes and follow suit a few weeks later. Once they reach the coastal ocean waters, the loons remain there for two years, returning in the third to the northern lakes where they were born to live a routine adult life.
The following photos were supplied by Jim and Sharon Morgan, taken from their dock, on August 24th. The chick is probably about four weeks old.
With both parents
They are clearly beginning flight training and the chick now dives for 10 – 15 seconds
Work continues on the reconstruction of the dam. The house has been moved back to its original location, but about three feet higher, on the columns we saw in the earlier photos. Pedestals have appeared on the auxiliary spillway, which will support the new, safer, all metal walkway out to the camp.
New photos taken August 20th have been added to the Dam Chronology page HERE.
“We can confirm that the two loons nesting on Lake Fairlee have hatched a single baby chick. I watched it swimming between the parents this evening in the vicinity of the sandbar where it was hatched. The parents are very attentive. Apparently they made all sorts of interesting calls throughout the night. We will keep a close eye on our lake’s newest resident!”
August 3, 2016 at 7:48:14 PM EDT
We are glad to direct you to an informative article written by our friend/neighbor/photographer who captured the photos on our earlier post. Read it HERE.
We are hoping soon to post a photo of the newly hatched baby loons. But we need your help, and are declaring a no-contest. Please send your entries to ben@fesone.com. No-prizes will be awarded.
Link HERE to a page of dam photos arranged in chronological order, showing the progress of construction to date. It will be updated from time to time.
This year for the first time in many years our resident loons have successfully built a nest and are expecting.
One of the prospective parents sitting on the nest.
Their nest is located in the mouth of Blood Brook.
The loon stretches its neck and lowers its head while fishermen are nearby
As of a few days ago there are no hatchlings as yet, but the parents are tending the eggs in shifts and we are hopeful.
Please respect their privacy and give the area a wide berth.
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies operates the Vermont Loon Conservation Project. Lots more information at their website.
Work continues on the dam. The house has been moved up on top of the columns we saw in the last pictures, right back in its original location, but about three feet higher. Support pedestals have been built on top of the auxiliary spillway, which will support the new, safer, steel walkway out to the camp.
Photos from August 20th have been added to the Dam Chronology page HERE.
Yes, it is a surprise, and a very pleasant one, too.
The Tri-Town Commission has engaged a contractor, Hebert Excavation Company, of Williamstown, VT, which began work in late May. They say that the project should be complete by the end of the summer.
(click on any of the photos to view a larger image)
A temporary dam was constructed just upstream of the Robinson Hill Road bridge.
The water level was lowered by about four feet, exposing much of the concrete portion of the dam. The house is still in place. The “Shady House” (shack) at the near (north) end of the dam has been moved out of the way.
The house has been moved off its historic foundations, sliding south about 25 feet.
Most of the portion of the dam north of the house has been removed. The portion that used to be under the house still remains. Fill has been introduced into the cove, making a platform from which the construction machinery can reach the dam.
From this angle you can see the crane out in what was the cove. The primary spillway is not underneath the house. Later in the process the house will be moved back to the right (north) and the final portion of the dam will be demolished and rebuilt.
They are replacing the dam in sections, starting at the north (near) end. Here they are already pouring some concrete in the first section.
At the far right are the forms and steel ready for pouring. The big white marshmallow looking things to the left are to keep the water out of the near end where they are pouring.
The view from the southeast. The cement apparatus is visible in the distance.
Detail here of the steel and forms ready for pouring.
Work continues across the dam. This is the first shot that clearly shows the new bulkhead at the near end of the dam. The digger is almost to the place where the house belongs.
Looking back at the construction. A second look at the new bulkhead.
Better late than never?
The Lake Fairlee Association holds a permit from the State of Vermont that governs all phases of our milfoil control activities – including hand pulling, suction harvesting, bottom barriers, herbicide treatment, and our greeter/prevention program. This permit requires that we conduct annual surveys of plant life in the lake, and that we file a report with the state annually.
Since 2010 we have contracted with (licensed) companies to conduct our various milfoil control activities, and they have been primarily responsible for filing these annual reports. The 2015 report was not completed and filed until July this year. Nonetheless it contains lots of detail about Lake Fairlee’s milfoil program. We provide it here for your information.
Click on image to download report (.pdf)
