Can you believe tomorrow is the 4th of July? The month of June seemed to fly by and we are now in the height of our field season. In case you missed the news in the last e-newsletter, two chicks hatched on our live webcam! It was just like you read in a textbook, the first chick hatched in the early morning hours of June 21 and the second one hatched a day later. The suspense started to build, though, when the female loon did not return to the nest that day to meet her newest chick. The male took both chicks to the edge of the ropeline, giving them a few snacks, as they waited for "mom" to return.
|
|
By nightfall, with still no sign of the female, the male led the chicks back to the nest where they would spend the night. This really stumped all of us at LPC--it definitely is not usual behavior for New Hampshire loons. Perhaps he felt safer there since he would be protecting his newly-hatched chicks by himself. The next morning, viewers from all over the world tuned in at the crack of dawn to see if the female had returned. This was a real-life loon soap opera! She did finally come back around
6:30 am
, greeted her family by the ropeline, and then brought the chicks back to the nest. Yes, you read that correctly! This surprised us once again, but we suspect the loons wanted to move their chicks to the brooding area together as a family--two adults to protect the chicks is better than one. And, perhaps the female needed a little R&R after her adventure! After "dad" had a short break, he returned, and the loon family spent some time in the cove and
swam out of view
around 8:40 am on June 23.
As far as I know the chicks are doing well. I will hopefully have some pictures to share in the next e-newsletter.
|
|
For those of you going through loon cam withdrawal, I have good news. We have a
webcam on a second loon nest
again this year! From the photo above you can see the nest is on a raft, or artificial nesting island. We prefer for loons to use natural sites, but if they have been displaced by shoreline development, or have lost a nest for several years due to water level fluctuations, we will float a nest raft for them to use. Not all loons jump right on a raft however, for some pairs it takes year, and just because we float a raft does not mean a loon pair will show up on a lake and start nesting.
|
|
The incubating loon had a visitor last week. The loon didn't seem to mind at all! In this
video
you can watch the heron preen its feathers and then fly off and land on shore behind the raft. The first egg was laid on June 24, so if all goes well, we expect to see a chick around July 21. That's going to be an exciting weekend with our
Loon Census
from 8-9 am and then our
Loon Festival
from 10 am to 2 pm on the 21st as well.
Our events really kick into high gear this month with our
Summer Nature Talk Series
beginning on Thursday, July 5 at 7 pm. Nature photographer, Rick Libbey, will take folks on a photographic tour of New Hampshire's wildlife. The talks continue every Thursday evening through August 23.
Continuing into the weekend, we have the
Save the Loons Fishing Derby
on Chocorua Lake on July 7. Ryan Buchanan, a rising high school junior, started this competition when he was just 12 years old because he wanted to raise awareness about loons and lead poisoning. That's quite impressive for a young boy! If you like to fish, or know someone who does, come out this weekend to join the fun. Prizes will be awarded following the competition. Speaking of fish, one of our veterinary interns is working on a project this summer and needs your help. See below for more information.
|
|
Ryan Buchanan enjoys a quiet moment fishing on Chocorua Lake. Photo courtesy of Jen Buchanan.
|
|
Later this month is a new event called
The Winni Swim
on July 18. If you are interested in swimming or paddling around Ragged Island on Lake Winnipesaukee send an email to
info@loon.org
.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our annual Summer Luncheon & Auction at Bald Peak Colony Club. As of late June, LPC field biologists have confirmed more than 140 nests around the state, and so far more than 60 chicks have hatched. I'm sure we will be getting additional reports this week as the peak of chick hatching is usually the first week of July. Please make sure to give loons on nests and adults with chicks plenty of space. The best way to view them is with a pair of binoculars!
I don't want to end on a sad note, but I do have one more piece of news to share. We have already recorded 5 cases of lead poisoned loons this summer. Read the full article from the Concord Monitor
here
. Don't forget there are collection containers for old lead tackle at all of the NH Fish & Game Offices, at The Loon Center, at the NH LAKES office, and at several transfer stations in New Hampshire. For a full list, visit
fishleadfree.org
. You can also exchange your old lead tackle as part of the
buy-back program
and get a gift certificate to the participating shops. It's a win-win!
|
|
Have a safe and happy 4th,
Susie
Susie Burbidge
Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
|
|
July 5; 7 pm
The Loon Center
July 7; 10 am registration; Competition from 11 am - 2 pm
Narrows Bridge, Lake Chocorua
July 9*; 8 am - 12 pm
Lee's Mill Boat Launch
Moultonborough
*
Note new date
July 12; 7 pm
The Loon Center
July 18; 10 am
July 19; 7 pm
The Loon Center
July 21; 8 - 9 am
Statewide
July 21; 10 am - 2 pm
The Loon Center
|
|
|
Two Citizen Science Projects with LPC: Fish Sampling and Loon Cam Watching!
Are you interested in angling for LPC? Veterinary intern, Kim Freid, is working on a project to explore how loons are exposed to cyanobacterial toxins that might have significant health impacts both for them and for people. As a part of this project, she's collecting some of the fish species that loons eat for toxin analysis. If you're going to be fishing this summer on any of the lakes listed below and would be willing to donate some small fish such as yellow perch or sunfish, contact Kim at
kimberly.freid@tufts.edu
.
Lakes of Interest:
Goose Pond- Canaan
Mascoma Lake- Enfield/Lebanon
Massabesic Lake- Auburn
Tewksbury Pond- Grafton
Connecticut Lakes- Pittsburg
Winnipesaukee
Squam Lake
Ever noticed the loon on the live webcam panting while sitting on the nest? LPC's Field Program Coordinator, Caroline Hughes, is looking at the effects of climate change on nesting success, specifically researching different shade fabric on rafts. Caroline
is hoping to recruit webcam viewers to record the date, time, and duration during which the loon on the nest is observed panting, or off the nest. Panting is a thermoregulatory behavior in which loons open their mouths and breathe heavily. During panting, cool air is brought into the lungs to cool them down and heat is exhaled.
|
|
Participants are asked to record whether the loons are on or off the nest and whether loons on the nest are panting every five minutes on the minute (exactly as the minute changes, for example at 5:00:00 AM, 5:05:00 AM, etc.) for as long of a duration as they are able. Data will be collected between the hours of 5:00:00 AM and 9:00:00 PM. If you would like to participate as a citizen scientist, email Caroline at
chughes@loon.org
.
Thanks, in advance, for your help with these important projects!
|
|
Lakes Region field biologist, Henry Stevens, adjusts the nesting material on a loon raft on Province Lake. Photo courtesy of LPC volunteer Thom Townsend.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
