One of Maine’s most iconic creatures, the common loon, is holding steady in the state with a population about 70 percent higher than it was 30 years ago, according to results of the 2017 Maine Audubon Loon Count, released earlier this week.
“I think education and outreach has really helped [the loon population],” said Maine Audubon wildlife biologist Susan Gallo, pointing to Maine Audubon’s Maine Loon Project and other educational outreach programs by local conservation organizations and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Since 1984, the annual Maine Audubon Loon Count has been held on the third Saturday of July, with over a thousand volunteers searching for loons on lakes and ponds throughout the state. The annual survey not only gives a current look at the state’s loon population, it helps biologists track population trends over time. Since the count began in 1984, the loon population in Maine has risen, gradually, by about 70 percent.
A number of state and local laws and regulations have also helped Maine loons, Gallo said. This includes the 1989 law that requires motor boat operators to go at headway speed — the minimum speed necessary to maintain steerage and control of the watercraft while the watercraft is moving — while in the water safety zone, which is the first 200 feet from any shore.
“That was mainly for water quality and erosion control, but it’s definitely a big help to loon and their lakeside nests,” said Gallo. “Big wakes can wash eggs right out of the nest.”
Recent state laws to regulate lead fishing lures may also contribute to the long-term incline in the state’s loon population, Gallo said.
The most recent loon count, held on July 15, 2017, was a stormy day. Nevertheless, 1,377 people participated, counting 1,816 adult loons and 182 chicks on 311 lakes across state.
Using that survey data, the Maine Audubon estimated a statewide population of 2,817 adult common loons and 453 chicks. The number of adults is virtually unchanged from the prior two years and the number of chicks is slightly higher, which organizers of the count say is heartening, considering the dry spells of this past summer stranded some nest sites far from water.
[Maine’s population of iconic loons remains stable]
“Loons create their nests right on shoreline so they can kind of flip on and off [from the water] without being detected by predators,” said Gallo.
When the water drops due to dry weather, as it did this past summer, loon nests can be stranded high above waterline, forcing loons to walk to and from their nests. They’re unable to fly to and from the nest because their body is structured in such a way that taking flight requires them to run along the surface of the water, into the wind, to gain enough speed to lift off.
“They’re not good walkers,” Gallo said. “Their feet are really way back on their body, so they’re lumbering and can draw attention to themselves.”
This is the third year in a row the count has indicated a statewide increase in the number of loon chicks, but Gallo said that’s not unusual. Based on graphs generated from the count over the past three decades, chick counts tend to go up over a three or four year cycles. Biologists have theories as to why that is but have yet to gather the sufficient data to support any one reason.
“It’s probably nothing to get too excited about — though any time we are producing more chicks, we have the potential to see more adults in six or seven years, the time it takes to reach mature breeding age,” Gallo wrote in the Audubon press release.
This summer, the Maine Audubon is celebrating it’s 35th Annual Loon Count, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 21, and the organization will be releasing a new online data portal for submitting observations, although they expect people will still record count results and take notes on paper. Also in celebration of the milestone, the Maine Audubon will travel around the state to talk about 35 years of loon conservation work and recognize longtime Loon Count participants.
To learn more and check for upcoming events, visit the Maine Loon Project webpage at http://www.maineaudubon.org/projects/loons/.
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