A Good Year For Loons
Momma and baby loons on Martin Meadow pond in Lancaster, NH. Locals report this is the first chick to survive in 5 years. Somehow, Mom protected the baby from eagles, garbage and other hazards.
2021 A Good Year For Loons
Vermont Digger Reports the state’s most successful season yet. New Hampshire seems to be as successful
An article in the VT Digger newsletter about a record number of active loon nests in Vermont verified some local lore across the border in NH.
“These days, birds are susceptible to a scourge of threats — pests, diseases, habitat loss and climate change among them. Still, one species has been thriving in Vermont: the common loon.
This summer, across the state, more loons laid eggs than ever before. In 1983, seven pairs made nests in Vermont. This year, that number climbed to 109. Of those, 77 pairs raised a total of 125 chicks, 85 of which have survived.
The previous record, set in 2019, was 101 nests. ”
A nesting pair that have tried nesting for years were finally successful on several favorite local kayaking ponds including Martin Meadows and Partridge Lake. According to Melissa Potter, the pair on Martin Meadows Pond had lost chicks to snapping turtles and eagles for the last five years. This year, however, the haunting loon calls warded off evil and the chick, still brown and a bit awkward, made it.
Loons are monogamous waterbirds who can live 20 and 30 years. Fledged chicks migrate to the ocean for for four and six years before returning to seek a spot to nest, usually within 25 to 40 miles of the lake where they were born. If they can survive a number of environmental and human-caused threats.
The first time i heard a loon was on a canoe trip in Algonquin Park, Ontario. I thought it was boys across the lake making fun of the girls. The sound was so other-worldly I couldn’t imagine it could be natural.