Launching the Loon Platform

As my former neighbors Jim and Donna moved away last year, they bequeathed their year-old loon nesting platform to me.  During its brief stint on the lake last year, a few loons looked it over but didn’t use it.  The platform did play frequent host to a pair of ducks that simply used it as a sunning platform.

After a bit of research, I learned that the platform needed to be positioned in a different part of the lake.  It needed to be in 4 to 5 feet of water, and at least 50 feet from shore, preferably near a marshy area.  Furthermore, it needed some shelter from winds and waves.  The only place on Thayer Lake that fit the bill was 1/4 mile directly across from the house, in a little naturally sheltered cove.

With a new destination selected, I prepared the nesting platform as instructed.  I picked shoreline reeds to build up the central area of the nest, and connected a pair of concrete anchors to opposite corners of the frame.  I then launched the platform from the front of the pontoon boat.  Now, it’s up to the loons.  Time will tell.