Loon Chicks on Opechee

Our loon couple, tentatively named Opie and Chee, have once again produced offspring on Opechee!

Last year, for the first time in recent years, Opie and Chee raised a single chick on the lake. This spring, the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) again set up a nesting raft in the north end of the lake, and again, our local love birds produced. This time, TWO chicks!

One chick seemed to have had a bit of navigational trouble early on and was found wandering alone on the lake by Steve Benz, LOPA President, and his wife Cheryl. They contacted the LPC, who advised trying to return the little guy to his nest. Cheryl was able to scoop him up, and he was dropped back at the nest where Chee and the sibling were resting. The family has been back together since!

The nesting raft has now been removed, and the chicks are learning to fend for themselves on the open water. Seen today, the chicks have grown substantially and are both successfully diving to catch their own food - escorted, of course, by Opie.

If you see our little guys on the lake, please give them a wide berth and respect their habitat!