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Have you ever wondered what the different loon vocalizations mean?
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Volunteers Needed
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We are still looking for volunteers to help out at The Loon Center
this summer.
If you want to learn more about loons and share your enthusiasm with visitors, please call 603-476-5666.
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Stay Connected
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| Contact LPC |
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P.O. Box 604
Lee's Mill Road
Moultonborough, NH 03254
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See nesting loons on the Loon Preservation Committee's LIVE loon cam!
Click the image above to view.
We are thrilled to bring you this footage for the fourth year from a nest located on a lake in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Since early May the loons have been active around the nest site and the first egg was laid on May 21. For the last 2 days they have not been tending to their egg very often--hopping on & off the nest quite a bit. It's not unusual to see this kind of behavior early on in the incubation process, but they have also been dealing with a lot of black flies while sitting on the nest. Loons actually have a species of black flies all to themselves! As I was putting some finishing touches on this email, I saw one of the adults rotate the EGGS....so happy to see a second egg on the nest, which was laid sometime between 12:30-2:45 pm today!
The photo below, taken on a pond in our Sunapee monitoring region, will give you the heebie-jeebies (I apologize), but it again illustrates how horrible the black flies can be for these nesting loons.
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A loon is trying to rotate the egg, but is swarmed by black flies. Photo courtesy of Libby Corbin.
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It does drive them into the water and can cause them to abandon their nest altogether. We just have to wait and see what happens. At least it's early enough so if they do abandon they will hopefully have time to renest.
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After tolerating about all it could handle, this nesting loon heads into the water to get some relief from the black flies. Photo courtesy of Libby Corbin.
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I will be sure to keep you posted on the status of the nest, but make sure to check our
website,
Facebook page, and
Twitter feed often for updates too. To see highlights from the 2017 season so far, you can also visit our
YouTube channel.
Both adults are banded so you may get a glimpse of the bands when the loons get on and off of the nest. The female loon has orange & blue bands on her left leg and blue and silver bands on her right leg. The male loon has red and green bands on his left leg and white and silver bands on his right leg. Both the male and female take turns incubating the eggs for approximately 28 days.
The webcam gives LPC an invaluable look at the habits and challenges faced by nesting loons in New Hampshire, including black flies, predators, flooded nests and intruding loons. It also lets us share this intimate look into the life of loons with our members and the public. The webcam is funded through LPC's Loon Recovery Plan which supports our mission to restore and maintain a healthy population of loons in NH. If you enjoy watching it and would like to contribute to these efforts please
click here.
Special thanks to LPC volunteer Bill Gassman who has been providing invaluable technical support for the loon cam again this year!
Fingers crossed for a successful hatch!
Our field biologists have just completed the second day of their training so keep an eye out for them on your lakes later this week!
Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend,
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Member a Day in May Update
We're getting close to our goal but we still need your help! As of May 23, 27 new members have joined LPC in response to our May membership drive. Please consider joining if you are not already a member or forward this to a friend who might be interested.
Remember, any new members who sign up this month will be entered into a raffle drawing for one of 3 great prizes:
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A 12" x 18" canvas loon photograph taken by LPC Board Chair, volunteer, and wildlife photograher Brian Reilly
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4 tickets to a Loon Cruise on Squam Lake
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A beautiful stained glass suncatcher
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As always, thank you so much for your support!
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Only a Few Spots Left to Reserve for LPC's Summer Luncheon on June 4!
Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch, silent auction, and the chance to socialize with fellow loon lovers. We will also be celebrating the one-day return of former LPC Director, Jeff Fair, as he entertains us with tales of loons and Alaska's McNeil River Brown Bears. LPC's Harry Vogel will also give a brief overview of New Hampshire's loon activity so far this season.
Please call LPC at 603-476-5666 to reserve your seat(s) by May 25.
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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.
Sincerely,
Susie Burbidge
Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
Loon Preservation Committee
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