Photos: Connors Lake loon cam readied for birds arrival

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From left, Donna Prewitt, Scott Christy and Linda White carry a shelter to the edge of Connors Lake in Anchorage on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The shelter will cover a small man-made island that houses a webcam, with the hopes that a Pacific Loon will nest there, as has happened almost every year since Jean Tam and her husband Scott Christy started the project in 2003.

On a beautiful spring afternoon, Jean Tam and a small group of volunteers set the stage for the 12th season of one of Alaska's most unique reality television shows.

As she has done every year since 2003, Tam and her volunteers construct a floating "island," covered with burlap and grass, and lay down a bed of bulrush and moss. She secures the remote-controlled camera, and a canoe pulls the island out into the middle of Connors Lake.

The stage is set, but the stars of the show have yet to arrive in Alaska. They're flying up from their winter home in the Lower 48, and are due to arrive in a few weeks. You wouldn't recognize their names. In fact, they don't even have names. The stars are Pacific loons.

For many years, the same banded female came back, made her nest and hatched her chicks on the island, under the watchful gaze of thousands of loon fanatics around the world.

Two years ago, the female, likely 20 years old and nearing the end of her reproductive life, came back but didn't lay eggs. Last year a new female arrived and laid eggs, but they didn't hatch. This year Tam has high hopes for a successful loon season.

According to Tam, the birds usually lay two eggs. If all goes well, the chicks will grow up on Connors Lake, learning how to feed, fly, takeoff and land.

Tam will flip the switch, taking the webcam live when the loons arrive, usually in mid-May. Alaska Dispatch News will host the live webcam this season, so check back for the link and updates all summer.