A week ago, a friend who lives on Big Stone Lake near the area called Lagoona Beach about 7 miles north of Ortonville off Big Stone Co Hwy 7 told me that a pair of Common Loons with 1 chick had been spending a lot of time in front of their dock.
I tried a few times to canvass the area when I was off work and didn't get a look at them until yesterday (through the scope, very far out). After doing a little digging, I was able to talk with 3 other people who live on the shore in that area who have also seen/heard them, and 1 of them told me that this is the fourth year they've been nesting and fledging chicks on the lake. The area where they're most often seen is between the 2 largest islands at the south end of the lake (Big Stone Island and Manhattan, which have smaller islands called Pancake and Frying Pan, along with several rock reefs, in between them). These islands are technically across the "border" and are part of South Dakota. No one I've talked to has seen the nest or knows exactly where it is, but it's assumed to be on one of the islands. Any given day, they're just as likely to be cruising the MN side as they are the SD side. Most of Big Stone Lake is surrounded by private property, but the 2 public boat landings NW of Ortonville shown on the map below would both be worth scoping out if anyone is interested in a Big Stone County Loon. https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/water_access/counties/bigstone_traverse.pdf Algae blooms are quickly overtaking the southern end of the lake, so boat traffic now is minimal. Not being a boater, I was surprised to learn of these birds because Big Stone only has a max. depth of 15 feet and gets pretty murky in the summer. It's worth noting though that Google maps shows a spot listed as "Northern Pike Spawning Area" nearby and the DNR has a fish-rearing pond at Meadowbrook, plus everything I hear from fishermen points to a robust perch population, so it's good to know they're finding enough food to make a home here. -- Jason M. Frank Ortonville Public Library Founder & Vice President Luddite Ornithologists League (LOL) Big Stone County, Minnesota ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
