Loon monitoring on Lake Agnes

Story by WTIP youth volunteer Ezme Mundell

The Minnesota Loon monitoring program finished up here on July 8th. 

Once again this year the Mundell family, particularly my mom Anne, set out to count the Loons on Lake Agnes near our home in Lutsen. Before the official loon count started on June 28th we saw 4 loons so we knew there were loons living on the lake.

My mom and I went out a couple of times between the 10-day monitoring time frame from June 28th through July 8th, 2024 from 5:00 am to 12:00 pm and we saw 2 loons, one was an adult, and one was a baby. The day I went out on the water it was pretty calm with a few ripples I saw 2 loons over toward the marshy shore. 

I love seeing the mother feeding the baby fish, it’s so cute! My family enjoys hearing the loons call in the morning. Loons have various calls and have different calls for different needs. 

The wail is mostly used when the loons are calling their mates or babies over long distances. The Tremolo is often heard when a loon is threatened or announcing itself to a lake. The Yodel is one of my favorites. It is often used to communicate with another loon saying it is protecting its territory. Last we have the Hoot. It is used when a loon just plainly wants to engage with another loon. Also known to show the happiness of curiosity. 

Loons can stay underwater for 5 minutes. On average, they go under for just 40 to 45 seconds to look for fish.  

Hear the different loon calls in the audio below.

Kalli Hawkins July 18, 2024