For the Birds – Common Loon

The Common Loon has to be one of the most beloved birds in the state of Maine. Their other worldly calls evoke a feeling of wilderness. Their striking black and white plumage is a beautiful sight to behold.

Common Loons play a role in Native American folklore. A Chippewa tale details the creation of the world by a loon. A Micmac story describes Kwee-Moo, a loon who was the special messenger of Glooscap, a tribal leader and hero. The folklore from a number of western Native American tribes describes how the loon came to acquire its necklace.

Common Loons have a northerly breeding distribution whose southern limits follow the upper tier of states all the way from Maine to Washington. A disjunct breeding population occurs in northwest Wyoming.

Historically, Common Loons nested further south. Breeding populations were known from northeastern California, southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, northeastern Pennsylvania, northern Ohio and southern New England.

Outside of North America, Common Loons are regular breeders in Greenland and Iceland. Nesting occurs rarely in remote portions of Scotland. During the winter, Common Loons occur more broadly throughout Europe.

The allure of loons is likely the best explanation for the effective conservation efforts that have arisen to evaluate and protect Common Loon populations. Loon Ranger programs have sprung up in a number of states. Loon Rangers are volunteers who monitor the nesting of Common Loons.

Such programs in the northeastern United States were effective in stemming declines of Common Loons and in educating the public about threats to Common Loons. These programs became models for other loon conservation programs from Alaska to Iceland.

Maine Audubon sponsors an annual loon count in Maine. In fact, the 2006 count is being held today. This program is an extremely popular one; all of the volunteer positions for the 2006 were filled.

These counts have shown that Maine has about 4,100 loons nesting in lakes throughout the state. Minnesota is the only state with more loons (over 10,000). Wisconsin has the third largest loon population with about 3,000 adults.

Results from the 2005 count (available at: http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci/loon2.shtml) indicate the highest loon populations were on Moosehead Lake (58 adults), Damariscotta Lake in Lincoln County (52 adults), Cobbossecontee Lake in Kennebec County (51 adults), China Lake in Kennebec County (38 adults), Great Moose Pond north of Skowhegan (41adults) and two of the Belgrade Lakes (Great Pond with 47 and Long Pond with 38 adults).

Based on the 2005 data, Maine Audubon biologists estimate that the loon population in the southern half of the state is about 3,000 birds, the highest value since the count started in 1983. This rosy estimate suggests that the Maine loon population is not declining and may in fact even be growing.

Vermont’s loon population is considerably smaller. In 1987, the species was placed on the state Endangered Species list following poor nesting success in the 1980’s. In 1994, only 14 pairs nested, producing 17 chicks. Conservation efforts seem to be effective; last year 191 adults were nesting in the state.

What can you do to help conserve loons in our state? We need to start with a bit of nesting biology. Loons build a nest just above the water line. The nest is made of aquatic vegetation that the loons throw from the water onto the nest site.

Loons are particular about the placement of their nests. The birds prefer to nest on the sheltered side of islands. For smaller lakes without islands, the loons seek a site on the lee side of the water body. This choice of microhabitat is clear; the loons do not want their eggs to be covered by water from waves. After prolonged rains when lake water levels rise, nests may be inundated. The loons will then abandon their first nesting attempt and try again with a nest a bit higher up.

A female loon generally lays two eggs. The chicks are able to swim soon after hatching. They rest on the back of a parent when they are tired. Chicks can barely dive below the surface on their first day but can reach the bottom after the first week. Chicks become fully feathered by their eighth week and fly after 11 weeks.

Chicks succumb to turtles, fish and other predators. However, a study in New Hampshire indicated that 15% of loons died from boat collisions. Boats failing to obey the no-wake zone close to shore may inundate nests. Boaters seeking to get close-up views of loons may collide with a loon, particularly a young loon.

The bottom loon: keep your distance from loons while boating and let other boaters know as well, particularly if the boats get too close to loons or their nests.

[First published on July 15, 2006]