Actually, not only is Bob for the birds, he’s also a bona fide loony!
[Please be aware that, for our purposes: loonie = Canadian $1 coin; loony = fan of loons.]
In the spring, the Lake Anne Club received an invitation from the Township of Mille-Isles to participate in a project of the Argenteuil Ornithological Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting birds (https://www.developpementornithologiqueargenteuil.org/). The project’s goal is to expand on a pilot project carried out on nearby Lake Bixley to provide loons with nesting platforms. Rather than purchase the pre-fabricated model, Stephanie read up on creating loon nesting platforms and passed the information on to Bob Gaudreau, who had offered to construct the platform. The ne(s)t result: our very own Lake Anne “Loon-R I” nesting module, now in place off the northwest side of The Island.
In the photos below (kindness of Bob), you can see that four (cedar) logs form the perimeter. There are five additional (cedar) logs below the water and, consequently, not visible. Considering the small amount of weight put into the construction (other than the logs), it floats quite low in the water.
The reason for fencing around three of the sides is to retain the soil. The fourth side is open as access for the loons. This fourth side faces away from the island. The centre of the platform is soil plus coir plus cedar mulch with a top layer of more coir. This is all supported by an underlayer of turkey wire mesh and weed membrane. The plants are wild irises and sedges which don’t mind having wet feet.
Loon-R I module construction complete
(except for a few more plants to be added).
Loon-R I en route to installation.
Lake residents are asked to paddle, row, motor, sail, or swim about 60 metres (200 feet) from the platform so as not to disturb any loon that falls for the module’s undoubted loonish attractions. This distance is roughly that to the north shore, between the Ronalds’ and Wendy Hugessen’s houses, across from The Island. To take a peek and see if there’s any activity, please use binoculars, rather than cruising up and getting intimate.
For those who would like further information on loon platforms, here is a fairly exhaustive document:
And this, the original document from the MRC:
Loon project: Fabrication and installation of floating nesting platforms for the Common Loon (Collared Loon).
Target: 10 different installation sites
Following discussions and an onsite visit with the Bixley Lake Resident Association, MRC Argenteuil DOA [https://www.developpementornithologiqueargenteuil.org/] was mandated in 2017 to construct and install a nesting platform for the loon couple that nest late at Lake Bixley. This lake is subject to a very high water regime in the spring which is slowly reabsorbed and variations of its water levels are very frequent throughout the nesting season. These fluctuations, as well as the very high water levels in the spring, makes it that the loon couple nest very late in the summer. Young loons then have difficulty finding enough food to assure optimum growth and finish growing very late in the fall when they need to fly south before freezing. Some years, this loon couple does not even nest at all; other years young loons die before they can fly away. This phenomenon is widely observed, analyzed and described in numerous scientific articles relating to studies mainly in the northeastern United States, especially in the Adirondacks where the problem is widespread.
To help loons have better breeding and thus achieve a stable annual production of ducklings, several lakeshore associations and government agencies have undertaken to install floating nesting platforms for Loon couples. This measure is being used with great success in the United States and Ontario.
With our next experience at Lake Bixley, DOA wants to analyze the possibility of undertaking a project for loon couples present on lakes similar to Lake Bixley having the same problem.
The main problems are:
1- Loons nest too late because nesting islands are only available after the water level drop late in the summer;
2- Loon nests are very close to the water and are often flooded because of regular floods and water levels that fluctuate very often in spring and summer;
3- The type of fish Loons feed on become less available as summer ends and autumn begins.
Nesting platforms are floating structures installed as soon as the ice melts and allows loon couples to nest without experiencing any adverse effects due to excessively high water levels or fluctuations; since they are floating, the platforms follow the fluctuations of the level of the water. This allows for early nesting and young ducklings can grow quickly and fly well before freezing.
DOA wants to approach several associations of lakes, municipalities and MRCs in our territory that would like to participate in this project. Lakes with the regular presence of loon’s presence would be visited and evaluated for the possibility of developing such platforms. The initial installation of the platforms would be done by DOA who would also train people for the installation and maintenance of the platforms for subsequent years. This project should be spread over 6 years because loons can take 3 to 5 years before adopting a nesting platform. The choice of sites and the installation of platforms should be done in 3 years.
Nesting platforms installed for Common Loons will be part of the Argenteuil Nesting Network (NAS) and utilization and monitoring data will be compiled with those of the other nest boxes in the network.
The preferred sites for the installation of nesting platforms for the common Loons are on lakes where the presence of these birds is regular but where their nesting is either nil or with very little success for any reason (Water level variations, disturbances, no nesting islands, etc.). The lakes must have a good supply of food (fish) and offer sheltered bays from the prevailing winds with marshes or scattered emergent vegetation.
The platforms are approximately 4 feet X 4 feet, are made of stable, water-resistant materials and are covered with substrate and vegetation to provide natural support and camouflage to the nest.
The cost of the platforms is $ 450 (long-term lease), including initial installation and installation of the substrate and vegetation, anchors, ropes and a small training given to the client. As nesting platforms for the Common Loon will be part of the Argenteuil Nesting Network (RNA), its regulations apply just like a normal nest box and DOA provides maintenance in case of breakage.
However, in the fall, platforms must be removed from the water before freezing and stored for winter on the lake shore to prevent breakage. In the spring, prior to the arrival of the common Loons, the platforms are reinstalled on the water and new vegetation is relocated. This part of the annual work must be provided by the client. DOA can do this work at an additional cost of $ 300 annually (for both field visits).
Once the Common Loons leave the nesting platform, they do not return for the rest of the year. The platforms serve as a resting place for a multitude of birds, mammals and reptiles (ducks, herons, geese, turtles, muskrats, mink, etc.) to facilitate their observation.
[Editor’s notes:
The platforms discussed in the above text are made with 8-inch PVC tubes which, unlike Bob’s cedar logs, are subject to ice damage, hence the need to remove the platform for the winter. Not the case for Bob's more robust version.
The text refers to young loons as “ducklings”. This is probably a simple translation error. The correct term is “chicks” or, indeed, “young loons”.
Finally, there's a photo missing that just resisted all my efforts to get it over here. It shows a loon platform, and we all know what that looks like.]
