Also in mid-August, LPC volunteers enjoyed camaraderie, stories, and a preliminary report on the 2015 breeding season at potlucks in three different monitoring regions around the state. Thanks so much to everyone who came to these events. I know August is a busy time of year, but it's a good opportunity for us to thank our volunteers for their help over the course of the summer.  As I've said before, LPC would not be able to do our great work without the support of our volunteers and members.

Top: Volunteers enjoy a potluck dinner at the Shaker Museum in Enfield, NH.  Bottom: LPC Senior Biologist/Executive Director Harry Vogel presents preliminary end of season results to volunteers at the Mahanan Pavilion on Franklin Pierce Lake in Hillsborough.  Bottom photo courtesy of Frank Malinoski.

In the last e-newsletter, I told you about a sick loon that I captured on Little Lake Sunapee in early August.  A necropsy performed at Tufts Veterinary School confirmed a lead-headed jig in the loon's gizzard and body fluids tested very high for lead as well. Another lead-poisoned loon was collected just a few days later on Lake Winnepocket in Webster, NH, after ingesting a lead sinker and being attacked by another loon. A third adult, another suspected lead-poisoned loon, was collected on Crystal Lake in Gilmanton in mid-August.  We have received several other calls from concerned folks about unusual loon behavior, but many of them turned out to be preening or bathing loons.  In case you have not seen this behavior, we have photos and videos posted on our website (scroll to the bottom of the page for great bathing footage). 

The full 2015 season results will be available in our Fall newsletter, due out in late October.  Once again it looks like "our loons" had another successful year with a record number of nesting pairs and chicks hatched!  For the second year in a row, Winnipesaukee (aka The Big Lake) hatched more than 25 chicks, a good sign that intensive management by LPC staff and volunteers is paying off.  Two-thirds of the chicks hatched this year on Winni came from nest sites with a raft or sign.  We also had a few "firsts" this season including the first hatch on Lake Sunapee in at least 40 years, the first nest attempt on Kilton Pond, and the longest incubation on record of more than 83 days on Squam Lake.  

By now, you may have noticed that the adults are starting to turn a little grey at the base of their bills (although one loon on Lake Wicwas in Meredith is a little farther along). Most of the chicks (now juveniles) are as big as their parents and are spending more time on their own as the adults socialize and even visit nearby lakes.

Photo courtesy of Kittie Wilson.

Photo courtesy of Marge Thorpe.

Photo courtesy of John Rockwood.

In the upcoming weeks, more adults will leave their territories for good and head to the ocean where they will spend the winter. If there is a chick still present on the lake, one of the adults may stay with it until late fall or until the lake starts to freeze. Our colleagues at BRI are continuing their fall departure study so we will share any results with you when they are available.

There's still time to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of four awesome prizes.  The drawing will be held at our Holiday Open House on Saturday, November 28.  

Fall is a great time to be on the water, as the hum of the motors starts to wane, the red & orange hues are reflected on the surface, and you may find yourself alone with the loons!  

Until next time,

Susie Burbidge

Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator

The Loon Preservation Committee is dedicated to restoring and maintaining a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; monitoring the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and promoting a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.

 

Susie Burbidge

Loon Preservation Committee