4 September 2026

Harmful algal blooms have become a regular feature of western Lake Erie’s summer water quality. Though they can occur as early as June, the worst of them are in late August and early September. This summer the bloom was 40 miles long on 26 August.

Today the bloom is not quite as long but it has been hard to quantify because clouds covered the western end of lake in the past couple of days. Clouds are the white blanket in the lefthand image and gray on the right.

Yesterday the Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast said: “The cyanobacteria bloom in western Lake Erie has an approximate area of 180 square miles, which is a decrease in area since Aug 28. Clouds have partially obscured recent satellite imagery, but it appears the cyanobacteria bloom is present in the western basin from the Pointe Moullie State Game Area, MI to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, OH. During low wind, patches of scum may be present from Cedar Point, OH to Monroe, MI. (emphasis added)

The scum is Microcystis algae that blooms in the presence of phosporus and produces toxins which kill fish and harm humans. The algal bloom was so bad in 2014 that the Toledo Water Authority told their 500,000 customers not to drink the water and not to wash dishes with it.

After Toledo’s water supply was compromised, Ohio made a plan to reduce phosporus flowing into the Lake from the Maumee River watershed. The project’s goal was to reduce the phosphorus by 40% by 2025. But that didn’t happen.

Why is it so bad? More than 85% of the phosporus comes from agricultural runoff. The runoff comes from manure, a byproduct of intensive cattle farming.

Cattle crowding is the link. Agriculture has changed in recent decades in the Maumee River watershed. We can see the results in Lake Erie.

26 June 2026

This week I received a video from our friends in Finland where the whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) have returned to the lake outside their cottage. When we visited Finland last year I was disappointed that no whoopers were breeding nearby. Erkki was happy to show me the swans are back.

Whooper swans nest on shorelines and islands at lakes like Rikkavesi because …

Whooper swans require large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing because their body weight cannot be supported by their legs for extended periods. The whooper swan spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food, or eating plants that grow on the bottom.

— Wikipedia: Whooper Swan

When the cygnets are small they can disappear in the grasses.

By the end of summer they are full grown in immature plumage.

When they mature at age 2-4, they pair up and mate for life. Pairs always stays together. This is made possible by signaling their next move to each other.

When whooper swans prepare to go on a flight as a flock, they use a variety of signaling movements communicate with each other. These movements include head bobs, head shakes, and wing flaps and influence whether the flock will take flight and if so, which individual will take the lead. … This signaling method may be a way for paired mates to stay together in flight. Observational evidence indicates that a swan whose mate is paying attention to and participates in its partner’s signals will be more likely to follow through with the flight. Thus, if a whooper swan begins initiating flight signals, it will be less likely to actually carry through with the flight if its mate is not paying attention and is therefore less likely to join it.

— Wikipedia: Whooper Swan

Loud calling is part of the signal.

And they’re off!