I can't believe 2011 is already coming to an end.  The mild weather as of late seems more like April than December and loons are still being spotted on lakes around the state.  Please keep an eye out for loons that may be trapped as open water begins to diminish and the lakes freeze over.  Don't hesitate to call LPC if you have any concerns or questions.  You may recall in the October e-newsletter that I mentioned a rescue on the Nippo Lake Golf Club this fall.  LPC volunteer, Barb Totherow, has written a wonderful account of the rescue effort which you can read below. 

On a different note, another loon fell victim to lead poisoning recently.  A banded loon was found on the beach near Annisquam, Massachusetts earlier this month.  A necropsy down at Tufts showed a jig in the gizzard and a hook fragment that had made its way to the bird's stomach.  It turns out the female loon was from the Moon Island territory on Squam Lake (photo above was taken in summer of 2010 before she was banded).  It's quite ironic that at the very same time the cause of death was determined, Squam Lakes Biologist Tiffany Grade was defending her Master's Thesis on lead and loons in New Hampshire.

At our staff holiday dinner a few weeks ago, we were reminded why we are working so hard to protect these birds (see photo to the left).  Thanks to Ralph Kirshner for giving us all a good laugh, and, yes, we know that loons cannot stand; this loon was formerly a chicken!

Stay tuned for the next e-newsletter to find out what fish do in the winter and how a clean-up effort is making one pond safer for loons and other wildlife.

Wishing you and your family all the best this holiday season!

Here's to a wonderful 2012,

John was worried that the loon could head back into the woods and get lost. The woman had to go to work, the Barrington Police couldn't spare someone for over an hour, and John grabbed a list of loon-friendly people in our area. Our name is on the list, and soon I was wandering around the lawn of the house on Rte. 126, searching for a loon! The owner said it had been in her back yard, but in just a ten minute period, it had moved all the way down her driveway and seemed to be heading for the ditch along the highway.

I walked up the road under my dripping umbrella-----nothing. I headed into the woods and poked all around----nothing. Finally, I started back up the grade toward 126, and suddenly, there it was, tucked down in the grass. Clearly not an adult, but really quite big. It had gray/brown feathers and was curled up, its head backward, beak nestled into the down on its back. After a bewildering night in the woods, it must have been exhausted.

I did my job, getting strange looks from drivers heading to or from Barnstead as they passed me, standing by the side of the road in the rain, reading a book. Luckily, I didn't have to corral the loon or work at keeping it from wandering into the woods or onto the highway. It pretty much rested and slept while I read. A Barrington police car stopped to check in and commented that we were only yards from the Isinglass River. He was thinking that if the loon could get to the water, it would be able to have a water "runway" to take flight again. (John said later that the river wasn't enough; a large body of water is necessary to get a sufficient takeoff.)

When John arrived an hour later with a big net and a cardboard box, the loon had just started its journey again. It was lurching along through grass and brush when he carefully encircled it with a towel and got it into the big box. I was trying to help and suddenly the bill flashed out and grabbed the side of my hand. Wow! Shock but no real pain. It's a good thing they don't have teeth!

John took the loon to the Northwood Veterinary Hospital for an x-ray which showed a fish hook in its gizzard, but no lead sinker. Fish hooks usually dissolve, according to John, and since the loon seemed in good condition, he decided to release it back on the pond.  When we arrived back home, the loon had already gone swimming up the lake. With binoculars, we could see four loons swimming together up toward the north end. That in itself seemed strange to us as lately, we'd rarely seen all four loons together.

That evening, I kayaked up the lake and found the whole family swimming cozily together. Tuesday morning, I followed one adult with one chick and eventually the other chick swam out to join them.

It's pretty clear that the golf course trekker was one of our chicks, and it's now safe and sound, ready to keep prepping for its winter trip to the ocean.