PEOPLE
PEOPLE THAT STUDY THESE CREATURES.
CREATURES. BOYD HUPPERT HAS THE STORY
TONIGHT IN TONIGHT'S LAND OF
10,000 STORIES.
10,000 STORIES. >> Reporter: HE IS CALLED TO
THE LAKES.
THE LAKES. BY LOONS.
BY LOONS.
BY LOONS. >> IN THE FOG, IT CAN BE A TASK
TO FIND THEM.
>> Reporter: DR. WALTER PIPER
WHO HAS DEVOTED HIS CAREER TO
LOON RESEARCH HAS BEEN
RETURNING TO THE LAKES OF
WISCONSIN FOR NEARLY THREE
DECADES.
DECADES.
DECADES. >> HERE THEY ARE.
>> Reporter: BUT THE DISCOVERY
OF THE SUMMER BELONGS TO ONE OF
DR. PIPER'S NEWEST INTERNS.
>> SO YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU
HAD FOUND.
HAD FOUND. >> NO, I HAD NO IDEA.
>> Reporter: SO NEW WAS EVELYN
DOOLITTLE.
DOOLITTLE. SHE HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN A
LOON CHICK.
LOON CHICK. >> ALL THREE CHICKS STILL IN
TACT.
TACT.
TACT. >>
TACT. >> Reporter: ON ANOTHER LAKE,
SHE MIGHT HAVE SPOTTED THIS
RARE BROOD OF THREE.
BUT WHAT DR. PIPER'S INTERN SAW
THAT JUNE DAY WAS EVEN MORE
UNLIKELY.
UNLIKELY.
UNLIKELY. >> I GOT BACK AND I SAID TO MY
COWORKERS, WOW, CHICKS SURE
LOOK A LOOT LIKE DUCKLINGS.
>> LOOKED LIKE A DUCK BECAUSE
IT WAS.
IT WAS.
IT WAS. >> RIGHT FROM THE START I KNEW
THIS WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL.
>> Reporter: LINDA, A WISCONSIN
LOON PHOTOGRAPHER, WAS SUMMONED
TO DOCUMENT WHAT DR. PIPER'S
INTERN HAD SEEN.
>> THE MOMS ON THE LEFT.
THE DAD HAS GOT THE DUCKLING ON
ITS BACK.
ITS BACK.
ITS BACK. >> Reporter: NOT RESPONSIBLE
SHE THOUGHT.
SHE THOUGHT. >> THEY DON'T LIKE THEM.
>> Reporter: THEY'RE ENEMIES TO
THE POINT THAT LOONS HAVE BEEN
KNOWN TO KILL BABY DUCKLINGS.
>> THE LOON IS THE HEAD HONCHO
OF THE LAKE.
>> SO WHAT GIVES.
>> VERY PROTECTIVE OF HIS
DUCKLING.
DUCKLING.
DUCKLING. >> TURNS OUT THE LOON PAIR
DOES.
DOES.
DOES. >>
DOES. >> IT'S JUST -- IT'S MIND
BOGGLING.
BOGGLING.
BOGGLING. >> Reporter: DR. PIPER'S TEAM.
>> IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> Reporter: FOUND EVIDENCE
THAT THE LOON PARENTS HAD
HATCHED A CHICK OF THEIR OWN.
MOST LIKELY KILLED BY A
PREDATOR SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH.
ABOUT THE TIME A DUCKLING
BECAME SEPARATED FROM ITS
MOTHER.
MOTHER.
MOTHER. >> IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED THE
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY.
SAME DAY. >> THEY NEEDED EACH OTHER
BADLY.
BADLY.
BADLY. >>
BADLY. >> Reporter: OUT OF LOSS CAME A
FAMILY.
FAMILY.
FAMILY. >> THIS IS THEIR CHILD.
YES, THEIR CHICK.
AND THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING
THAT THEY CAN TO PROTECT IT.
>> Reporter: AND WITH MORE
TRIPS TO THE LAKE, THE
SURPRISES KEPT COMING.
>> THE DUCKLING STARTED DIVING,
WHICH THEY DON'T DO.
>> Reporter: NOT MALLARDS.
>> IT LEARNED IT FROM THE
LOONS.
LOONS.
LOONS. >>
LOONS. >> Reporter: YET THERE WAS
LINDA SHOOTING VIDEO AS THE
BABY MALLARD STAYED UNDER WATER
FOR TEN SECONDS UNTIL IT POPPED
UP, RIGHT THERE.
>> LOONS DO IT.
DUCKS DON'T.
DUCKS DON'T. EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE.
>> Reporter: NOR ARE MALLARDS
BIG FISH EATERS.
>> I DON'T THINK ANY OF US
BELIEVED IT.
BELIEVED IT. WE WERE IN AWE.
>> Reporter: UNTIL ANOTHER OF
DR. PIPER'S INTERNS SNAPPED
THESE PHOTOS OF A LITTLE MUSKY
BEING SERVED.
BEING SERVED. >> THEY DON'T EAT IFISH.
>> Reporter: TO A DUCKLING
EATING FISH LIKE IT IS FRIDAY
NIGHT AT A WISCONSIN TAVERN.
>> I SAW SOMETHING THAT I WOULD
PROBABLY NEVER SEE AGAIN.
>> Reporter: NOT EVEN TWO WEEKS
AGO ON HER LAST VISIT, LINDA
SNAPPED THESE PHOTOS OF A WELL
FED AND GROWING DUCKLING.
>> LOOK HOW LOW THE BACK IS.
ALL DUCK.
ALL DUCK.
ALL DUCK. NO LOON SHOWING.
>> Reporter: IF TWO RIVAL
SPECIES CAN MAKE THIS WORK,
MAYBE THERE ARE LESSONS BEYOND
THE LAKE.
THE LAKE.
THE LAKE. >> WE HUMANS LOOK AT HUMANS A
LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM OURSELVES
AND SEE ONLY THE DIFFERENCES.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE HUMANS COULD
LEARN A LESSON OR TWO FROM
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> Reporter: NOTHING IS BEYOND
IMAGINING ONCE YOU HAVE
WITNESSED THE IMPOSSIBLE.
BOYD HUPPERT, KARE 11 NEWS,
TOMAHAWK, WISCONSIN.
TOMAHAWK, WISCONSIN. >>> AND THAT IS THE STORY WE
ALL NEEDED TODAY.
>>> YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN
LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE WORK OF
DR. PIPER AND THE LOON PROJECT,
THE STUDY HE HAS BEEN CONDUCTED
SINCE 1993.
SINCE 1993. YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO HIS BLOG
AND WEBSITE ON OURS AT
KARE11.COM.
KARE11.COM. IT WAS SO CUTE I COULD HARDLY
STAND IT.
STAND IT.
STAND IT. >> IT WAS JUST ADORABLE.
>> I LOVE THAT STORY SO MUCH ON
A DAY LIKE TODAY WHEN WE NEEDED
TO HEAR SOME GOOD, FUN NEWS.
>> AND FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME,
EDUCATIONAL.
EDUCATIONAL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT
LOONS EXCEPT WHAT THEY DO
DURING THE WINTER.
NEW ORLEANS IS WHERE THEY COME
WHEN THEY'RE NOT HERE.
>> DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M CURIOUS
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. >>
ABOUT. >> I DIDN'T KNOW THEY DIDN'T
LIKE DUCKS.
LIKE DUCKS. >> I DIDN'T KNOW THAT EITHER.
THE LOONS HAVE A DISTINCT CALL.