News from the Loon Preservation Committee

Volume 72| May 31, 2018

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Greetings!

The loons are nesting again on LPC's LIVE loon cam! We are so excited to bring you this footage for the 5th year in a row from a loon nest on a lake in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. We started streaming the live footage on May 3, but the loons did not start nesting until May 25. If all goes well, we expect to see the first chick on or around June 21. Click here to view the loon cam on our website or you can also go directly to LPC's YouTube channel to view the live feed. We have already captured some early highlights which you can view on YouTube as well.

This loon pair is among the first in the state to start nesting, with reports coming in from other monitoring regions as well. Don't worry if the loons on your lake have not initiated a nest yet. The peak of nest initiation in New Hampshire is usually the first week of June.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on the loon cam pair, but we are also maintaining a blog which always has great information about loon behavior and recent happenings caught on video!

It seems lately that with good news also comes some bad news too. On May 14, we captured a tangled loon on Lake Winnipesaukee near Black Cat Island. LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley and Field Program Coordinator Caroline Hughes brought it back to The Loon Center with hopes of untangling it and then releasing it back on the lake. They were able to untangle it with help from Dr. Mark Pokras and Megan Hartwick, who happened to be at LPC that day doing a necropsy. The loon was extremely lethargic, hardly putting up a fight, and had green feces, all signs pointing to lead poisoning. A blood test revealed high levels of lead in the loon's blood. We attempted to get it to Avian Haven for rehab but despite LPC's best efforts it died en route. A necropsy later confirmed that the loon had ingested a large lead sinker.

LPC biologists captured a loon on Lake Winnipesaukee with a wad of fishing line tangled around it's bill and tongue on May 14 (pictured left). While collecting blood for a lead test, bright green feces exited the loon, which is often indicative of lead poisoning (top right). An extended wing shows beautiful new flight feathers (bottom right).

We usually see most of the adult loon lead mortalities in New Hampshire during July & August when there's an increase in lake use and fishing pressure, so we are concerned that a loon died from lead poisoning before Memorial Day again this year. As a way to try to combat this continuing issue for our loons, LPC and NH Fish & Game have partnered with two local retailers to pilot a lead tackle buy-back program from June 2 to Labor Day (September 3). We are very excited about this program and hope with positive feedback and good results we can expand on it next year! Click here for a recent article in the Concord Monitor about the lead tackle buy-back program.

I am thrilled to report that we have exceeded our goal for the May membership drive! I know today is the last day of the month but I have a challenge for you! Let's try to get up to 50 new members? We only need a few more!

Click here to join. Your odds are still pretty good for a chance to win one of four great prizes , but more importantly you will be supporting our good work to protect & recover loons in New Hampshire!

As always, enjoy your time on the water and let us know what you are seeing out there. We love to hear from you!

All the best until next time,

Susie

Susie Burbidge

Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator

Upcoming Events

Roast Beef Dinner to Benefit LPC

June 2; 5-6:30 pm

(continuous seating)

Trinity Episcopal Church

Meredith

Greenland

June 7; 7 pm*

* Lakes Region Chapter potluck will begin at 5:30 pm

Loon Cruises on Squam Lake

Fridays, June 8, 15 & 22; 3 pm

Mondays & Fridays, June 25-August 31; 3 pm

LPC's Summer Luncheon and Benefit Auction with Guest Speaker Steve Curwood

June 24; 11 am - 2 pm

Bald Peak Colony Club

Summer Nature Talk Series

Thursdays, July 5 - August 23; 7:30 pm

Yakking for Loons

July 6; 8 am - 12 pm

Lee's Mill Boat Launch

Moultonborough

Loon Census

July 21; 8 - 9 am

Loon Festival

July 21; 10 am - 2 pm

The Loon Center

Earth at the Edge of Runaway Climate Change

Presented by Steve Curwood, Executive Producer and Host,

Public Radio International's Living on Earth

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Bald Peak Colony Club

180 Bald Peak Drive

Melvin Village, NH

LPC's Annual Luncheon & Auction

11:00 Reception and Silent Auction

12:00 Luncheon

12:50 LPC Introductory Comments

1:00 Earth at the Edge of Runaway Climate Change

Learn about the challenges and impacts of climate change presented by Steve Curwood; Pulitzer Prize Winner, Sierra Club Award Winner, and Lecturer of Environmental Science and Public Policy at Harvard University

Kindly RSVP by June 14

$55 per person

Cash Bar

Smart Casual Attire

(Jackets are not required for men; no blue jeans please)

Click here to preview silent auction items including exciting adventure excursions and the giving tree.

You may also download a registration form and send with your payment to LPC: PO Box 604, Moultonborough, NH 03254.

For more information or if you have questions,

please call 603-476-LOON (5666)

LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley instructs 2018 Field Biologists on the finer points of loon monitoring, research, management, and education during the first day of field orientation on May 21.

Loon Preservation Committee | 603-476-LOON (5666) | www.loon.org

Loon Center Hours: Monday-Saturday; 9 am to 5 pm

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.