Loon’s nest

Loons thrive on Kootenay Lake, but you will look in vain for a nest here.

Loons are clumsy on land—they are looney—and they cannot move their nests as the water level changes, so to nest adjacent to the water, they must find a lake where the water level does not change much through the spring. This is not Kootenay Lake, where the lake level might change by three metres during the breeding season.

Yet, on some of the smaller alpine lakes in the vicinity, loons will nest. Last year, some Canada Day loons were seen with a chick on one of these little lakes. The same thing will probably be seen this year, for today, on that lake there was a loon seen sitting on her nest at the water’s edge.