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Slow down when boating this weekend

Memorial Day weekend usually is the unofficial start to boating season, when many in the region may get their first chance to tool around on area waterways.

But please consider the time of year. This is breeding season as well for a host of waterfowl and other birds that can be vulnerable to being swamped by fast-moving watercraft.

Loons, in particular, have legs set so far back for diving they can’t walk on land but only can push themselves along on their belly, so must nest close to the water’s edge.

That means a high wake from a passing boat can spell disaster. Especially this year, when frequent rains already have caused lake levels to rise. Several photos have been posted on Facebook of loon nests flooded out, the eggs drowned and lost.

Even waterfowl that have hatched already can’t dive yet and swim only so fast, so may be unable to get out of the way of motorized boats zooming by and can get confused if separated from parents, which in turn makes them vulnerable to predators from above — hawks, eagles, even gulls — and snapping turtles from below.

Even if in a kayak or other “human-powered” watercraft, try not to get too close to alarm the parents or stress these new chicks.

As the Michigan Loon Preservation Association advised earlier this week: “Remind your friends and family to give the loon family plenty of room so the chicks will be safe and undisturbed. We all know they are so very cute, but please observe them with binoculars or at a safe distance, even when trying to photograph them.”

So do the loons and other birds a favor this holiday weekend. Power down, take it slow and save the faster activities on the water for later in the summer, perhaps July 4, when the year’s crop of young birds should have grown enough to be less at risk.

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