I have spent the day with a local artisan building a loon nesting raft. The raft is now complete except for the marine ply ramp and deck, the nesting ring and the canopy fabric.
The canopy on our raft is hinged to gives easy access for installation of the nesting ring.
You will notice my 1988 Suburban 6.2 liter diesel, that I have maintained for over 20 years. It is still my work horse. No computer chips in that vehicle! It is now classified as a "Classic auto."
The Loon is the Minnesota state bird and gives the signature sound to the Minnesota Lakes country.
Unfortunately numbers in the US are in decline. The two nesting pairs on Benedict Lake produced no chicks the season before last, and one chick last year that did not survive.
So we have decided to start duplicating the
program on Mantrap Lake, that has been very successful. Please click on Loon Nesting rafts.
Here is the latest Mantrap raft.
We basically copied their design, they kindly lent us one of their latest models. The only change is that the canopy is hinged.
The biggest hassle is that you have to deploy the raft on the day the ice goes out from the Lake. So I will have to make "Tuscan" ready early and launch her into the frigid waters.
