Message from Cherie Hogan, SMLA Vice President:
This is an update from Peg Comfort who heads up the Antrim County Loon Network. She is anticipating that the loon bandings will take place at the end of July on Six Mile Lake. Joe Kaplan, a biologist from Escanaba, will do the banding again. He has done this for many years. The data collected is compiled and lets us know many important aspects about these birds, however it’s not free. Once again we will be raising the money for the bandings through donations. Last year our loon pair hatched zero chicks even though they spent over 60 days on the nest. This year we were fortunate to have two more mature (and much larger) loons and they hatched two giant sized chicks. Bandings usually take place when the chicks are around five weeks old, however, our chicks were early this year as our loons got right down to business so our chicks, which were born on June 6-7, will be almost eight weeks old. Hopefully, they stay put on the north end of the lake which will make it easier on all of us.