Another Leech Lake Tragedy

We arrived at the lake this past Sunday afternoon to spend the week with our two sons, three grand children and two large dogs. During the first couple of days an adult loon and the baby loon came into our small bay right up to our dock. The adult twice dove under the dock. We did not see the two adult loons with the baby loon as we had on other occasions

On August 31st my wife, grandson and I were kayaking around the lake. We were just about to round the point along the south shore when I noticed something in the rocks lining the shore. It appeared to be a loon. Initially I thought it might be the baby loon hiding while the adults were elsewhere.

I cautiously approached the bird but there was no movement and on closer inspection I discovered that the loon was dead. When we got close enough it was evident that the loon had been dead some days as there were flies crawling on it.

The bird was wedged into the rocks in such a way that it looked like it had gone there on its own as the space was so small that it was hard to conceive that it could have been washed there by any wave action.

I telephoned Larry Jacobs, chairman of lake stewardship, and we are trying to get someone with expertise to come and examine the bird to see if the cause of death can be determined.

Needless to say we were heart sick to discover the death of one of these majestic creatures with the haunting cry.

We have had two adult loon deaths on Leech Lake in the past two seasons. The word will be going out within the loon community that Leech Lake is a dangerous place to live and raise a family.

Alan Greenwood