Loon Family Accepts Displaced Chick with Open Wings
An extremely young, aggressively bullied loon chick found a happy new home last week, culminating a potentially dire and challenging situation with a heartwarming adoption.
This success is credited to the tireless efforts of Linda and Kevin Grenzer, operators of the Tomahawk-based Loon Rescue nonprofit, and their network of loyal volunteers across the state.
The saga began Saturday, May 31, when Tammy Traeger, a resident on Perch Lake in Hudson, discovered a freshly hatched loon chick being relentlessly bullied by its sibling. The sibling repeatedly attacked the chick, even after it had displayed submissive behavior.
According to eye witnesses, the chick would leave the family and beach itself in an effort to find solitude, but even then the sibling would follow it and attack it on shore. Ultimately, despite numerous attempts to unite the chick with its family, the chick ended up beached in the driveway of Traeger's home.
"This is one of the most aggressive displays of sibling rivalry we personally have witnessed," the Grenzers said in a social media post, noting that, given the abuse, the young chick would not be able to stay on Perch Lake with its family.
After receiving an exam and eating food it was offered, the Grenzers determined the loon chick appeared healthy, but its only chance at survival would be to thrive on a different lake with a new family.
On June 2, they began their search for a very specific loon family unit — one with a single biological chick that was only 3- to 4-days old.
"Introducing a loon chick to a new loon family is dicey. This new loon chick has a 50/50 chance that its new parents and their biological chick will accept this new addition to their family," the Grenzers said.
They made a public plea via Facebook that reached 70,000 viewers, and were able to find a family that matched what they were looking for. Mark and Joni Zich contacted Loon Rescue, and by June 4, the Grenzers were able to meet the Zichs on the Chippewa Flowage near Hayward with the new chick.
"We met Mark and Joni at their home where they graciously had everything ready, a boat and kayak, to take us out on the lake to their loon family," the Grenzers said.
They used a decoy made by Kevin Grenzer to distract the parents, which worked by drawing the protective adult loons away so the volunteers could release the chick near the biological chick in the hopes the parents would "adopt" the foreign baby.
And it worked! The parents "penguin-danced" around the decoy trying to scare off the intruder while Linda Grenzer was able to kayak over and release the baby. The decoy was then quickly removed from the water, and each parent took a chick by their side and went their separate ways for about 10 minutes. The Grenzers said this separation was good, as it helped the foster chick get acquainted with one of the parents.
"The family met up together where there was minimal pecking from its new sibling, which was an extremely good sign," they said. The family then moved back near the shoreline, with a chick on the back of each parent.
That night, the Zichs checked on the family before dark and were happy to report both chicks were with one of the parents — one on the back and the other floating by the parent's side — while the other parent was out fishing. The Zichs said they will continue monitoring the family.
"We are extremely grateful to each and every one of you who helped make this happen," the Grenzers said to the many individuals following the situation. "Your prayers, well wishes, and positive vibes worked!"
