After a mink stole their third egg on LPC LoonCam 2, the New Hampshire loon pair’s nesting season seemed to be slipping away one heartbreak at a time.

They had already lost two earlier eggs at the end of May. Then, after returning to the mudflat and giving viewers a new reason to hope, on June 10, 2026, the female laid another egg, only to have it taken by a mink less than two hours later. For anyone watching the camera, it was the kind of moment that turned excitement into silence. But the pair did not leave.

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That became the most important part of the story. Even after the mink raid, even after repeated loss, the loons stayed connected to the nesting area. They kept returning to the exposed mudflat near the old nest bowl, where scattered material and instinct were all they had left to work with.

Then, on the early morning of June 12, 2026, another animal entered the scene. A beaver rushed across the mudflat and scared the female away while the pair was preparing for another attempt. It looked like the final breaking point for a pair that had already endured so much.

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The Mudflat Became Their Second Chance

After the loss of their first two eggs, the first real sign that the season might not be over came on June 6. The female loon was seen stationed on an exposed mudflat beside the old nest bowl. She was not simply resting there. She began making deliberate nest-building movements, pulling nearby organic material closer and shaping the loose pieces into a rough new structure.

It was not a polished nest. It did not look safe in the way viewers might wish a loon nest could look. But it was something. For common loons, renewed nest-building after egg loss can be a meaningful sign. When a female remains near the nest site and begins arranging material again, it may suggest another reproductive attempt is still possible.

That is what made the mudflat so important. The old nest had already been part of a painful season, but the loons were still drawn back to that same area. They were still touching, pulling, shaping, and preparing. In a year full of setbacks, the smallest movements started to feel like signals.

The Third Egg Brought Hope Back, Then Vanished

By June 10, that hope had turned into another egg. The female loon successfully laid a third egg on LPC LoonCam 2 after the pair’s earlier losses. For a brief time, the nest held possibility again. The camera had captured a pair still trying, and the egg seemed to mark a new opening in a season that had been closing in on them.

Then came the mink. After the female left the nest, the predator moved in quickly. The raid happened less than two hours after the egg was laid, and a crunch could be heard as the mink made off with it.

It was a sharp reminder of how exposed a loon nest can be. To viewers, the egg represented resilience, recovery, and another chance. To a predator moving along the shoreline, it was food.

That contrast is part of what makes wildlife cams so powerful and so difficult. They let people witness the tender work of nesting, but they also show how fast nature can take back what seemed newly possible. The third egg was gone almost as soon as it arrived.

The Beaver Interrupted a Fragile Moment

After the mink raid, the next threat came in a different form. On June 12, 2026, as the loons were on the mudflats preparing for another possible egg, a beaver rushed out and scared the female loon away. The moment was sudden, tense, and badly timed.

Watch the startling moment a beaver rushes the mudflat, forcing the female loon to abandon the nest site momentarily:

A beaver is not an egg predator like a mink, but that does not make the encounter harmless. Around a nesting site, a large animal moving aggressively through the area can disrupt the birds at a critical time. It can break the rhythm of courtship, force the loons away from the nest site, or add stress when the pair is already trying to recover from loss.

For the female, the interruption came when every return to the mudflat seemed to matter. She moved away, but the pause did not become an ending. The beaver scattered the moment, but it did not scatter the pair’s instinct to continue. The loons returned to the work.

The Fourth Egg Arrived in Remarkable Timing

The fourth egg arrived later in the day on June 12, 2026, about 58 hours after the third egg had been laid and stolen by the mink. That timing made the moment feel extraordinary. The female had already produced another egg after earlier losses, lost it almost immediately to a predator, faced a beaver disturbance during the next attempt, and still returned to lay again.

For viewers watching LPC LoonCam 2, this was not just another nesting update. It was the turning point. The pair had managed to repair the nest area just in time. The mudflat, which had looked so exposed and uncertain, became the place where another egg appeared. The nest was still vulnerable. The risks were still there. But for one quiet moment, the camera showed something the season had nearly run out of: another chance. The fourth egg did not erase what happened before it. It made the pair’s persistence impossible to ignore.

Why a Fourth Egg Feels So Unusual

Common loons usually lay one or two eggs in a nesting attempt, so seeing this pair continue after repeated losses is what makes the LoonCam 2 season feel so striking.

A fourth egg does not mean the pair has had an easy season. It means the opposite. It points to how many times their nesting effort has been interrupted, reset, or broken apart. Each new egg has come with a cost, and each return to the nest area has required the adults to keep responding to whatever the shoreline gives them.

That is why this moment feels bigger than the egg itself. It shows how powerful breeding instinct can be in common loons. Even after a nest fails, a pair may continue to defend a territory, rebuild, court, and attempt to nest again if timing and the female’s condition allow it.

This pair has not been working from a perfect floating platform or a calm little nursery. They have been using a muddy, exposed place that has already attracted danger. Yet the female still laid again, and the pair still prepared the area enough to receive the egg. That makes the fourth egg feel less like a simple milestone and more like a small act of survival.

What to Watch Now on LPC LoonCam 2

The most important question now is whether the fourth egg can remain safe. After the mink raid, viewers will likely be watching every absence from the nest with extra concern. The adults need time to feed and care for themselves, but any uncovered egg can be vulnerable in a busy shoreline habitat.

The loons will need to keep tending the nest, turning the egg, and returning often enough to protect it. Weather, predators, water levels, and other animals can all change the situation quickly.

There is also the question of whether another egg could follow. Common loons often lay two eggs in a clutch, but this pair’s situation has already moved outside the usual rhythm. After multiple losses and a second nesting attempt, what happens next will depend on timing, the female’s condition, and whether the pair continues showing nesting behavior.

For now, the fourth egg is the moment that matters. After a mink stole their egg, after a beaver disrupted the mudflat, and after a season that kept asking the loons to start over, the LPC LoonCam 2 pair still found a way.

This live cam is provided by the loon preservation committee.

FAQ About the LPC LoonCam 2 Fourth Egg

Did the LPC LoonCam 2 pair lay a fourth egg?

Yes. The female loon laid a fourth egg during the pair’s second nesting attempt after several earlier egg losses.

What happened to the third egg on LPC LoonCam 2?

The third egg was laid on June 10, 2026, but a mink invaded the nest less than two hours later and made off with it.

Why is the fourth egg so meaningful?

The fourth egg is meaningful because it came after repeated losses, including a third egg stolen by a mink and a beaver disturbance during the pair’s next attempt.

Did a beaver attack the loons?

A beaver rushed across the mudflat while the loons were preparing for another nesting attempt and scared the female loon away. The disruption did not stop the pair from continuing.

When did the fourth egg arrive?

The fourth egg arrived about 58 hours after the third egg had been laid and stolen by the mink.

Could the loons lay another egg?

It is possible, but not guaranteed. Common loons often lay two eggs in a clutch, but this pair’s unusual season depends on timing, the female’s condition, and whether nesting behavior continues.

Where is LPC LoonCam 2 located?

LPC LoonCam 2 is associated with the Loon Preservation Committee in New Hampshire.