A tale of two rescued Loons have now been released

PELICAN LAKE, Wis. (WSAW) - Two lucky loons are now living their best life after being released on the waters of Pelican Lake on Thursday. The loons were taken in by the Raptor Education Group Inc. during last week’s loon fallout.

Last week’s cold weather caused the loon fallout, where the water birds were literally falling from the sky due to ice buildup on their bodies weighing them down to the point they couldn’t fly.

“So basically what happens is loons fly 5, 6, 7,000 feet in the air at 70 mph. So, if they encounter a thunderstorm up there and it’s that cold, their bodies start icing up,” said Kevin Grenzer, the vice president of Loon Rescue Inc.

One of the loons from last week’s fallout was found in a pile of cow manure. ”As soon as she put that net over that loon, cow manure was flying everywhere,” said Grenzer.

The loon was rinsed off and taken to REGI for treatment due to the acidity of cow manure. “They treated it for antibiotics and everything to get the little eye irritations cleaned up,” said Kevin Grenzer.

The second loon from Marshfield was found in a pond that was too small for it to leave. ”These ponds were so small that they were not able to gain enough lift because there were trees around them so we knew these weren’t going to get out,” said Lina Grenzer, the president of Loon Rescue Inc.

After a five-hour chase and 13 volunteers working together, the loon was finally found and taken in. Almost a week later, they were released into the wild with an entourage looking out.

”The two that were released today were doing really well. They’re both very strong birds, with good weight. They show every sign of good health now,” said Marge Gibson, founder of REGI.

REGI said this year the public has done a great job calling in and reporting downed loons. Now, the loons are healthy enough to continue their migration journey.

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