Fireworks on the Fourth of July

This morning I had a visit from a Loon Ranger from north central Wisconsin. As we spoke, I asked if her lake had chicks this year. She reported that the loons abandonded their nest on the Fourth of July when fireworks rippled across the evening sky. Eggs sat dormant in the nest for the next few weeks until something found them.

Every year we hear of loons who are disturbed by fireworks and leave their nest--typically within a week of the eggs hatching. This is very late to attempt a re-nest, which we have only seen on rare occasions.

If you would like to share your point of view on fireworks over lakes, please take less than 5 minutes to complete this survey:


http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/survey/2009Summer/2009Summer.asp