Loon Chick Still Here!
 

We still have a loon chick in Green's Basin. The other chick left long ago. It is getting late in the season. The Loon Preservation Committee said we shouldn't worry because it has been so unseasonably warm. As long as it leaves while there is still open water to take flight everything will be alright. I am wondering if anyone else is still seeing chick on the lake??? I remember one year when a number of loons died on the ice in the broads because they didn't have enough open water to take flight.

Where are the parents?
 

I have friends on another lake that relayed a story of another situation of a loon chick not flying off. The parents seemed to hang with the chick, taking off and over flying the lake, trying to get the chick to fly. They too were worried as the lake is a smaller lake, and ice was forming around the edge. They went home one weekend, and all were there. Came back the next weekend, and all were gone. All this played out just before Christmas, a few years back.

Is it usual for the parents to leave the chicks?

Thanks for letting me know. The parents left the chicks a long time ago. Then one chick left ages ago and this one has been all alone. I just realized that I am discussing the chick under pets and not wildlife. I would like to call the chick my pet, but we all know that isn't true.

Is there a loon conservationist that can determine if a resue is needed?

See the original post...
 

Greene's Basin Girl said in her original post that she had contacted the Loon Preservation Committee and that she should worry as yet, because the weather had been so warm.

Hopefully the chick will have its natural instincts kick in soon, and take a tour of the coast.

I hope rescue will not be necessary. I hope that the chick will be able to take off on it's own. That being said, there is a very strong possibility that will be needed. I am not a professional conservationist but I do know quite a bit about loons. As a wildlife photographer it helps me to know as much as I can about the habits and abilities of my subjects.

Loons are very strong fliers; however they are not very good at taking off, due to their heavy body weight and small wings. The heavy body weight is due in large part to the fact that they have solid bones unlike most other species of birds that have hollow bones. The heavy solid bones make them excellent divers and handicaps their ability to take off.

Loons weigh close to 10 lbs. with a 46-inch wingspan. To put this in context, Great Blue Herons average 5.3 pounds with a 72-inch wingspan. Loons have trouble flying if only one flight feather is missing.

Once the lake starts to freeze; if it is still out there, it will need to be rescued.

Yes, normally the parents leave before the chicks. I have worried more than once about a chick leaving so late, but they always did. But I know exactly how you feel GBG!! I worry about them like they are my pets too!! Well, almost.

I wonder how loons survived for the 10,000 years before there were "loon conservationists"? Not trying to be flip but sometimes we need to let nature take its course. Perhaps this bird is weak or diseased in some way and as a result its time has come?

He is absolutely fine . I have been watching the loons for over 60 years. This was long before the Loon Preservation Committee existed. I didn't know it was bad to be concerned about the creatures we love. I have grown up with them. What is wrong with caring? I am not bothering them or anyone else.

" Happy Holidays"

Just wondering here, with zero wildlife conservation knowledge...

If a loon chick (or other critter) isn't going to make it, is there a scenario where capturing (rescuing?) it can help further scientific study?

It isn't bad but sometimes well intended folks don't appreciate the cycle of nature. The creatures you love are susceptible to disease and death just like all of us. Therefore, when I see an animal die due to disease or injury I realize it is part of the lifecycle and while sad I don't get upset about such instances.

A different but related example is the deer population that is out of control in much of New England. Unlike the Loon population the deer population is very unbalanced. Recently, at Blue Hill reservation in Massachusetts there was a deer hunt to manage down the population which is running at 85 a square mile well above the 10 deer a square mile that wildlife experts consider healthy. These populations are out of balance since there are no natural predators, or certainly not enough of them, due to development. The result is an epidemic of Lyme disease and many, many deer and car collisions. Despite this situation the "conservationists" were throwing themselves at the hunters' cars in an effort to stop the hunt. I just don't understand these people. That is my rant for the evening.

It's the same old story nobody cares about or protests fishing but kill a "cute" Deer or Rabbit and people are upset. I'm not speaking for or against personally just sayin...

I was told they are pretty much impossible to catch unless they are so weak and sick they can't dive anymore, otherwise you can't get close to them unless they are trying to figure out if they can eat you.

It is interesting that you get on my case about the loon chick and then you bring up the deer population. My husband has been hunting deer for the past 3 weeks so I guess you would be pleased with him. I am such a bad person because I am watching a loon and just wondering when he will fly to the coast.

If this weather continues, the issue may be moot. There will be open water until the others come back! :eek:

I'm not trying to make you upset. Best wishes for a happy holiday season..

The loon chick has flown to the coast!

UH OH- that must mean ice and cooler weather is on it's way! Thanks for keeping us posted! And I am glad you worried!!

I guess the chick never really left. We saw it again in the basin.

Interesting article about "Lingering Loons" in the Laconia sun today

http://www.laconiadailysun.com/

One can very easily flip the script on that comment...

I wonder how humans survived for the 10,000 years before there were "Doctors"? Not trying to be flip but sometimes we need to let nature take its course. Perhaps this human is weak or diseased in some way and as a result its time has come?

Oh how times have changed.

The two loon chicks are still in Green's Basin!

Now THAT makes me nervous! It doesn't seem right for them to still be there with the ice beginning to form.

Basin Girl - I know you called the Loon Preservation Committee but it is going to get colder next week and ice-in is just around the corner. Maybe you should give them another call. (603) 476-LOON (5666)

We spoke with the Loon Center again. They are concerned, but they will only rescue the loons when they are totally trapped by ice. We have to keep an eye on them I guess.

They have no way to catch them if they are healthy.

We think they are finally gone.

Fingers Crossed!!!!!
 

Fingers crossed!!!!!!!

Loon call over Paugus Bay today
 

I just heard a loon call on Paugus Bay. It sounded like it was coming from the Lakeshore Drive side of the Bay. I hope the loon will be ok.

The loon is in the middle of the bay
 

I took out my binoculars and noticed the loon out in the middle of the bay swimming in a small water hole. I just called the loon preservation to see if it could be helped.

In fact, loons are not all that hard to "capture". I went to a lecture at the Loon center and they explained the way they capture them for banding. They go out at night well after dark, in a boat. They shine a flashlight and , for some reason the loon will swim towards the light and are captured, banded and released.

Some loons are captured over and over again and end up wit a series on bands. The banding program is covered here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSfm9QZMkKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSWsrvQFQkA

Dozen of video's Just "google" Common Loon Night Banding

Interesting Loon fact..

•Loons are more closely related to penguins than to any North American waterfowl.

https://americanexpedition.us/common-loon-facts

Hmm, thanks I didn't know that. There was one a few summers ago with some fishing tackle around it's bill. I called about it and they said they knew about it, that it wasn't eating and they had lost track of it a few weeks before. They asked if it was still diving and I told them yes, they said they couldn't catch it until it was too sick to dive, so I thought they couldn't catch them. Anyone they called me back a few weeks later to tell me they had caught it and it was doing fine.

Really know need to worry about a Loon in winter. If we actually get ice, The bird could be at the ocean in a few hours. They don't go to San Diego for the winter.

Loon Preservation Society to the rescue...
 

Thank you Loon Preservation Committee for coming out on Saturday and again today to rescue the stranded loon out on Paugus Bay. They were able to capture the loon and run some blood tests. Unfortunately, the loon has lead poisoning and is now being treated over in Freedom, Maine at the Avian Haven Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center. A number of rescues have been performed this winter and some of their success stories can be found on their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...1575179188699/

Loon Update
 

Received from the Loon Preservation Committee:


Greetings!

January 2016 might go down in the books as the busiest month for live loon winter rescues in LPC's 40-year history. All told, LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley rescued 7 loons trapped in the ice--one on Broad Bay in Freedom, one on Highland Lake in Stoddard, and five on Lake Sunapee near Newbury, NH.

The trend continued into February with one more iced-in loon rescued from Paugus Bay on February 1. Along with two crash landing cases that came in to New Hampshire rehabilitators in January, we've already seen 10 rescues in 2016.

The successful capture on Paugus Bay was overshadowed by the fact that this was another lead-poisoned loon. Wildlife rehabilitators at Avian Haven used chelation therapy to absorb the lead from its bloodstream. A week after its rescue, the blood lead level was down to 2.5 ug/dl and the loon was diving well, preening, eating, and its overall fitness appeared to be strong, so it was released on February 9 in Penobscot Bay where two other loons were visible from shore!

My wife and I were very saddened to hear from John Cooley the loon rescued by him on Paugus Bay had traces of lead. We understood this was not good news. What we did not know at the time, until we did research and talked to some of the folks at the Loon Preservation Society and Avian Haven, was the largest known cause of New Hampshire adult loon mortality is ingestion of fishing tackle made of the toxic metal lead.

The Loon Preservation Committee has published a lot content on loons and lead and can be found at:
http://www.loon.org/loon-lead-overview.php

Again, our thanks go out to the Loon Preservation Committee and Avain Haven for rescuing, treating and releasing this loon. We are wishing one of the Sunapee loons, also poisoned by lead, will soon be released.

The wonderfull work of Avain Haven can be read at:
http://www.avianhaven.org/
https://www.facebook.com/Avian-Haven-381894018553252/

And the Loon Preservation Society at:
https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...1575179188699/

Thank you, Long Bay, for being a major factor in saving this loon!

R2B

Another iced-in loon rescued on the lake...
 

Another iced-in loon was rescued the other day on the lake. Hopefully, this loon will also be released shortly as well.

https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...188699/?ref=nf