By Sarah Smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com Two intrepid junior naturalists and their family helped rescue a loon Friday that surely would have frozen to the ice on Hubbard County’s Upper Bottle Lake. Ronia, almost 10, and Dana, 6, Larson went with their dad, uncle and grandfather to Upper Bottle Lake to rescue the juvenile loon. The family had been watching the loon, born this past summer, for weeks as the lake froze over. Their concern grew as the lake’s one open spot shrank in the sub-zero temperatures. The loon was just off Steve Larson’s neighbor’s dock. Juvenile loons are routinely abandoned by their parents and fly to a southern location with other juveniles weeks after the parents leave. But this loon stuck around and it turns out there was a reason. It had a broken wing. It is not uncommon for juvenile loons to get stranded, said Tami Vogel, communications director for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville.
The Larsons started masterminding a rescue Nov. 14, when Upper Bottle froze over. Grandfather Steve lives on a point off Upper Bottle Lake, so the kids could see the loon when they visited him and he could keep track of its progress. “I kept a daily watch on him,” Steve Larson said. Friday, Brett Larson, the girls’ father, his brother, Jed, grandfather Steve and the two girls hauled a rubber duck dingy out onto the ice. You can see the YouTube video of the rescue if you go to the site and search for LoonRescueMN. Brett and Jed pulled the rubber boat up to the hole, by now about five feet in diameter, and tried to grab the bird with large fishing nets. The loon dove underwater. Deep. They waited a few minutes until the loon resurfaced and scooped it up with one of the landing nets. The girls had cut straw to line the bottom of a large dog carrier. When the rescuers got ashore, the bird was gently placed in the carrier and transported to Brett Larson’s home off Boulder Lake in Hubbard County, just one lake away from Upper Bottle. “We put it in the garage, where it was cool,” Brett Larson said. “We tried to give him some water but he wouldn’t drink it,” Ronia reported. They largely left the loon alone, to relieve its stress. In the room off the garage, the sisters are home schooled by mom Tanja. “We travel a lot,” Ronia explained. They put on a nature tape of loons calling. The loon in the dog cage could hear the calls and would periodically call back, Brett said. “He likes to hear the music,” Ronia said. “We had lifejackets on,” Brett reported. “I was expecting to fall in.” n But the family had also done their homework before the rescue so they could be prepared. They selected The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville, a nonprofit, donor-supported organization. According to its website, The WRC was established in response to the increased need for medical care of injured, ill and orphaned wildlife. With a medical staff of eight, the Center is one of the largest and busiest wildlife medical centers in the nation. More than 400 volunteers care for, rehabilitate and release the wildlife that they’ve worked with. The WRC treats more than 8,500 wild animals every year, representing more than 160 different species. The Center is not open for tours, but has a large open house in February. It was the perfect home school assignment. On Sunday afternoon, Jed Larson drove the loon to the Center. By then it seemed to enjoy the company of the family, which took great pains not to stress it or bother it. n “It has an old fracture to its right ulna,” said Vogel in an email to the Enterprise. “By old, I simply mean not recent – it’s already healed. This can be problematic if the bones don’t fuse correctly, etc., but that doesn’t seem to be a concern. What is a big concern is the bird’s loss of extension in this wing. “This is most likely due to the fact that the bird hasn’t been using it regularly and normally because of the fracture,” Vogel said. “So, (it’s) kind of like a muscle atrophy,” she added. “And, if the bird can’t extend the wing fully, it cannot fly. What’s grounding the bird now isn’t the fracture, but the result of the fracture.” The Center’s vet, Leslie Reed, admitted it and is doing intensive therapy on the wing. The loon “is under anesthesia because it’s pretty high stress, and the therapy can be uncomfortable for the bird,” Vogel said. “We won’t know whether the bird will be able to regain full extension, and thereby regain flight, for a few weeks.” The loon did test negative for lead “so at least it’s not battling that as well,” Vogel said. “Holding high stress waterfowl in captivity for treatments like this poses all sorts of issues for the birds,” Vogel added. “One of our biggest concerns is the development of aspergillosis. We proactively treat this to try to prevent it from developing. Aspergillosis is a fungal disease of the respiratory tract of birds and mammals. Aspergillosis is most often seen in wild and captive birds, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “Aquatic and scavenging wild species have the highest incidence rate while captive species are most susceptible when first subjected to captivity. This is especially true when an extended transporting is required in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions,” the Michigan DNR said. n The family is adjusting to life without the loon. “Tonight, he’d freeze to death,” Brett Larson said Sunday. They refer to Tanja as “nature lady” but the family loves outdoors activities and goes camping a lot. “This was part of nature and nature’s cycle,” said Tanja, who majored in natural resources in college. Ronia may follow in Mom’s steps. (Brett is a pilot for Delta, which is why the family travels frequently.) “I’m not sure,” Ronia said. I’m kind of considering it.” (Becoming a naturalist). Ronia is named after the children’s fantasy book “Ronia the Robber’s Daughter” by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.By Sarah Smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.comTwo intrepid junior naturalists and their family helped rescue a loon Friday that surely would have frozen to the ice on Hubbard County’s Upper Bottle Lake.Ronia, almost 10, and Dana, 6, Larson went with their dad, uncle and grandfather to Upper Bottle Lake to rescue the juvenile loon.The family had been watching the loon, born this past summer, for weeks as the lake froze over. Their concern grew as the lake’s one open spot shrank in the sub-zero temperatures. The loon was just off Steve Larson’s neighbor’s dock.Juvenile loons are routinely abandoned by their parents and fly to a southern location with other juveniles weeks after the parents leave.But this loon stuck around and it turns out there was a reason. It had a broken wing. It is not uncommon for juvenile loons to get stranded, said Tami Vogel, communications director for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville.
The Larsons started masterminding a rescue Nov. 14, when Upper Bottle froze over. Grandfather Steve lives on a point off Upper Bottle Lake, so the kids could see the loon when they visited him and he could keep track of its progress.“I kept a daily watch on him,” Steve Larson said.Friday, Brett Larson, the girls’ father, his brother, Jed, grandfather Steve and the two girls hauled a rubber duck dingy out onto the ice.You can see the YouTube video of the rescue if you go to the site and search for LoonRescueMN.Brett and Jed pulled the rubber boat up to the hole, by now about five feet in diameter, and tried to grab the bird with large fishing nets.The loon dove underwater. Deep.They waited a few minutes until the loon resurfaced and scooped it up with one of the landing nets.The girls had cut straw to line the bottom of a large dog carrier. When the rescuers got ashore, the bird was gently placed in the carrier and transported to Brett Larson’s home off Boulder Lake in Hubbard County, just one lake away from Upper Bottle.“We put it in the garage, where it was cool,” Brett Larson said.“We tried to give him some water but he wouldn’t drink it,” Ronia reported.They largely left the loon alone, to relieve its stress.In the room off the garage, the sisters are home schooled by mom Tanja.“We travel a lot,” Ronia explained.They put on a nature tape of loons calling. The loon in the dog cage could hear the calls and would periodically call back, Brett said.“He likes to hear the music,” Ronia said.“We had lifejackets on,” Brett reported. “I was expecting to fall in.”nBut the family had also done their homework before the rescue so they could be prepared.They selected The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville, a nonprofit, donor-supported organization.According to its website, The WRC was established in response to the increased need for medical care of injured, ill and orphaned wildlife. With a medical staff of eight, the Center is one of the largest and busiest wildlife medical centers in the nation. More than 400 volunteers care for, rehabilitate and release the wildlife that they’ve worked with.The WRC treats more than 8,500 wild animals every year, representing more than 160 different species.The Center is not open for tours, but has a large open house in February. It was the perfect home school assignment.On Sunday afternoon, Jed Larson drove the loon to the Center. By then it seemed to enjoy the company of the family, which took great pains not to stress it or bother it. n“It has an old fracture to its right ulna,” said Vogel in an email to the Enterprise. “By old, I simply mean not recent – it’s already healed. This can be problematic if the bones don’t fuse correctly, etc., but that doesn’t seem to be a concern. What is a big concern is the bird’s loss of extension in this wing.“This is most likely due to the fact that the bird hasn’t been using it regularly and normally because of the fracture,” Vogel said.“So, (it’s) kind of like a muscle atrophy,” she added. “And, if the bird can’t extend the wing fully, it cannot fly. What’s grounding the bird now isn’t the fracture, but the result of the fracture.”The Center’s vet, Leslie Reed, admitted it and is doing intensive therapy on the wing.The loon “is under anesthesia because it’s pretty high stress, and the therapy can be uncomfortable for the bird,” Vogel said.“We won’t know whether the bird will be able to regain full extension, and thereby regain flight, for a few weeks.”The loon did test negative for lead “so at least it’s not battling that as well,” Vogel said.“Holding high stress waterfowl in captivity for treatments like this poses all sorts of issues for the birds,” Vogel added. “One of our biggest concerns is the development of aspergillosis. We proactively treat this to try to prevent it from developing.Aspergillosis is a fungal disease of the respiratory tract of birds and mammals.Aspergillosis is most often seen in wild and captive birds, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.“Aquatic and scavenging wild species have the highest incidence rate while captive species are most susceptible when first subjected to captivity. This is especially true when an extended transporting is required in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions,” the Michigan DNR said.nThe family is adjusting to life without the loon.“Tonight, he’d freeze to death,” Brett Larson said Sunday.They refer to Tanja as “nature lady” but the family loves outdoors activities and goes camping a lot.“This was part of nature and nature’s cycle,” said Tanja, who majored in natural resources in college.Ronia may follow in Mom’s steps. (Brett is a pilot for Delta, which is why the family travels frequently.)“I’m not sure,” Ronia said. I’m kind of considering it.” (Becoming a naturalist).Ronia is named after the children’s fantasy book “Ronia the Robber’s Daughter” by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
