Timeline for What is this floating raft-like object in the waters of a reservoir in Massachusetts?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2017 at 6:40 | history | edited | stijn | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 431 characters in body
|
| Apr 16, 2017 at 11:56 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | @stijn if you've done more research as a result of my common-knowledge-to-me comment, feel free to write it up in your answer. I just happen to know that loons abandon nests if people come by or if a boat wake disturbs them, and some people have been trying to help them with that for some time. That's just a thing you know if you live in Ontario "cottage country" where loons and summer people overlap significantly. | |
| Apr 16, 2017 at 7:14 | comment | added | stijn | It's actually @KateGregory who came up with the correct term 'loon nesting platform' which was key to finding the information (which I would never have found as I'm not a native English speaker, let alone I know the names of bird species) so I'd rather not simply steal it but also propose a seperate answer. | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 18:56 | comment | added | Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL | @KateGregory, you're also correct, and a google search of "covered loon nesting rafts massachusetts" will show you some. If you want to write an answer, please do. Then there will be at least two full correct answers here, which I hope will be fun for the community! Thanks! | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 18:55 | comment | added | Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL | Full disclosure: Last night after I posted this, I started doing some research because it was so fascinating. Once I get started learning about something, it's hard to stop, so I know the answer. These are loon nesting rafts, and have played a very important role in bringing loons back to the reservoirs in our area after decades of absence. stijn, what you found is one of the many informative sites, so it would be great if you'd add that to your answer. Thanks! | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 14:25 | comment | added | ShemSeger | Ducks and geese will take over swimming docks left out in the middle of small lakes. I grandfather owned a campground with a small lake, and there was one old dock in the middle middle that no one used anymore because it was always covered in poop. It got the the point where you could hardly tell it was a dock because weeds started to grow on it, and it looked like a small island. There were always dozens of birds sitting on that dock, because it was safe and only accessible by swimmers and boaters. | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 13:03 | comment | added | stijn | @KateGregory interesting, found e.g. loon.org/nest-rafts.php. In that case the safety is not only for protection against predators but also to protect against nests getting flooded etc. | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 12:55 | comment | added | Kate Gregory | The roof is going to be key to identifying this. Loon nesting platforms are quite common (human activity messes with loon nesting big time) but none of the ones I saw in a quick search had a roof. | |
| Apr 15, 2017 at 10:05 | history | answered | stijn | CC BY-SA 3.0 |