Maine Audubon estimates that 2,770 adult loons and 276 chicks were on lakes in southern Maine this summer, down from the previous two years.
The estimates are based on the organization’s 43rd annual Loon Count, held July 18. A record 1,861 volunteers surveyed 438 lakes statewide.
Maine Audubon has used the annual count to track loon populations south of the 45th parallel since 1983. That region has enough lakes surveyed to produce a reliable population estimate, but there is not enough data from northern Maine to estimate the population statewide.
The lower numbers this year may reflect conditions that made loons harder to spot, including fog, wind and smoke from Canadian wildfires. Some loons also had not hatched their eggs by the time of the count, according to Maine Audubon.
The organization said the lower estimates are not necessarily cause for concern. Loon pairs do not raise chicks every year, and some successfully fledge young only every other year or every few years.
Long-term studies such as the annual count focus on population trends over time rather than individual yearly estimates. The population does not need to grow every year to remain healthy and stable, according to Maine Audubon.
“The next few years will allow us to truly understand what trends we’re seeing in the adult and chick populations,” said Mady Eori, the organization’s community science manager.
Eori said long-term monitoring is important for identifying potential threats to Maine’s loon population.
In northern Maine, volunteers counted 515 adult loons and 40 chicks on 125 lakes. A separate group surveying remote lakes over a weeklong period counted 53 adults and three chicks.
People interested in participating in next year’s count in northern Maine can contact conserve@maineaudubon.org. More information about the annual count is available at maineaudubon.org/loons.