Winnipesaukee Forum - Winnisquam Loon

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Believe it or not, after living here since 1986, I finally got on Lake Winnisquam.

(Took a ride in a Premier 29' Tri Hull , w/250HP - WOW what a great boat! but that is another post sometime)

we ended up down near the Loon Area and I got a few shots. It was getting dark, so the picture is a little grainy.

Attachment 8351

Very nice shot, thanks for sharing

Speaking of Loons

from W.M.U.R.

Quote:

Number of loon hatches down this year

Adult population of threatened birds remains stable

MOULTONBOROUGH, N.H. —It was a tough summer for loon reproduction.

Dr. Harry Vogel, senior biologist and executive director of the Loon Preservation Committee, said that statewide, only 153 of the threatened birds hatched out, down from 170 the previous summer.
Just 115 survived. That, too, is down from 134 in 2012.
But there was some good news, including the stability of the adult population and the fact there are many more lakes to populate.
"The key is keeping the adults alive," Vogel said, and in that respect, it was a pretty good summer.
The annual Loon Census is done each summer.
"It was very successful and had lots of participation," Vogel said. "The census data is rolled into season-long monitoring data."
He said the census found 283 loon pairs. That number has been steady at about 280 for several years, Vogel said.
Staff observations are done across the state throughout the summer months before the birds fly out to the ocean or go south for the winter.
Vogel said June was the 10th wettest month in 145 years. Nests along the shore tend to get flooded out and ruined in rainy conditions.

Nice. Those red eyes sort of freak me out though....:laugh:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakesrider (Post 212782)

Nice. Those red eyes sort of freak me out though....:laugh:

Well, it appears the loons have a special reason for the red eyes.. I never knew this so thanks for being freaked out.. made me look it up! LOL

Q. Why do loons have red eyes?

A. Dr. Judith McIntyre, who wrote the book Common Loon: Spirit of Northern Lakes, told Journey North science writer Laura Erickson that loon eyes are brilliant red probably to be attractive to the opposite sex and to be seen across a lake by other loons--it probably helps them to defend their territories the way the red epaulets help red-winged blackbirds defend their territories. During winter, when loons are not involved with mating or territorial activities, their eyes lose much of the color and become a dull reddish-brown.

My eyes are only red on weekend mornings.:laugh: