Loons On Lovewell Pond
the call of the wildTo many of us, the call of the loon is synonymous with summer on Lovewell Pond. In the 1950's and the 1960's, this wasn't the case. Back then, loons were very rare on Maine's ponds and lakes. The Maine Loon Project was started in 1977 to study the status of the loon population. Thanks to such programs and the public's response, loons ( and eagles) are back on the pond.
We all love to hear the "call of the loon". Each call means something different in "loonspeak" but to us humans, the sounds translate into "please stay away... enjoy us from afar".
There are several things we all can do to encourage the loons to stay on our pond and to return each year:
- Use only phosphate free detergents and fertilizer
- Enjoy loons from a distance
- While boating, watch for loons and keep your distance
- Slow down if you suspect you are close to diving loons
- Use only lead free fishing sinkers and jigs, and properly dispose of old lead tackle
- Retrieve broken fishing lines
Please remember: Common loons are protected by both state and federal laws prohibiting harassment of wildlife.
There is a lot of great information regarding loons available on the Web. Here are are a few:
- About.com on birding
- Michigan Loon Preservation
- Loon Lake, Washington state
- Loon Preservation Committee, Moultonboro, NH
- Maine Audubon
The Annual Loon Count
For over 25 years, the Maine Audubon Society has been conducting an annual "Loon Count". Each year, on the third Saturday of July, from 7-7:30 AM, on every lake and pond in Maine, volunteers go out on their lakes and count the loons that they see, marking a special map with the place and time of sighting. Paul Troth was Lovewell Pond's original loon counter. His family (the Gobetz's) have continued the tradition with help from neighbors Stefi Hastings and Colleen Wilkins. The results of 21 years of the loon count on Lovewell Pond are below (updates for 2005-2008 to come, and 2009 when it's available).
| Lovewell Pond | adults | chicks |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 7 | 0 |
| 1996 | 6 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 |
/loons.shtml Thursday, 14-May-2009 04:29:37 MST
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