| How You Can Help |
| Because of their frequent encounters with humans, especially during
the breeding season, Common Loons have disappeared from some areas
along the southern fringes of their breeding range and are threatened
by recreational and residential development along lakeshores across
much of their range. Common Loons are designated as either “threatened”
or a “species of special concern” in much of New England (except
Maine), the upper Great Lakes region (except Minnesota), and the
western United States. |
| Among the reasons for their decline in these regions are loss
of nesting habitat to shoreline development, the hazards of coexistence
on lakes traversed by powered watercraft, ingestion of lead sinkers,
contamination of freshwater lakes, loss of fish prey to acid precipitation,
and fluctuating water levels on lakes managed for flood control
or electric power. |
| These threats come in all shapes and sizes -- from careless disposal
of fishing line to depletion of food resources due to acid rain.
Any effort to reduce the impact of human activity on loons, however
great or small, though, is rewarded by the sight and sound of
loons that return each year to their lake homes. |
| Habitat Loss Due to Shoreline Development |
| Loons return to traditional nest sites year after year. Buildings
and boat ramps on islands and shorelines in proximity to a traditional
loon nesting site can cause loons to abandon the site. Some of
the activities that go on around lakeside cabins can disturb loons,
too: allowing dogs to run or play near nests can cause nest abandonment
or destruction of eggs, for instance. |
| • |
What You Can Do:
Be aware of where loons nest in your area. Try to protect nest
sites by contacting your state’s loon protection affiliate or
natural resources agency to obtain “loon alert” signs. Stay off
loon nesting islands or away from shoreline nest sites. Participate
in local land-use planning meetings to control shoreline development
on loon lakes. |
| Boating |
| Loons use large lake areas for nesting, feeding, and raising their
chicks. Nesting birds are easily disturbed by boat traffic, jetskis,
and even canoes. Because loons nest on the water’s edge, wakes
from speedboats can wash eggs out of nests. Additionally, the
prolonged disturbance of slow-moving fishing boats that approach
a nest and remain nearby for a long time may force an incubating
loon off its nest. As a result, the developing loon chicks inside
the eggs may die from exposure. Heavy boat traffic can cause some
loons to abandon a nest permanently. |
| Thoughtless boaters have been known to chase and harass loons.
Sometimes, loons are struck by boats and killed or injured. More
often, harassed loons will be disturbed while feeding, reducing
their ability to meet their nutritional demands, or chicks may
be separated from their parents, a situation which places the
chicks at risk of predation or exposure. |
| • |
What You Can Do:
Report intentional harassment to your local game warden. Try to
get the boat registration number and a photograph of the offense.
Educate your neighbors and visiting boaters or anglers about loons.
Help post “loon alert” signs at marinas and boat launches. These
signs are available from some state DNR offices, or from several
NALF affiliates. Do not approach loons while they feed in open
water or are with their chicks. Watch them from a distance! Slow
down when passing nests, but don’t linger. If a loon is seen “dancing”
upright or giving the tremolo call, STAY AWAY. These are signals
of distress!
|
| Fishing Line, Fish Hooks, and Lead Sinkers |
| Loons have been injured and killed from becoming tangled in fishing
line or ingesting fish hooks. Loons are known to ingest lead sinkers,
mistaking them for the pebbles they use to help grind food in
their gizzards. Lead poisoning is a significant cause of loon
mortality, as reported by researchers at a 1992 NALF conference:
14 of 222 loons in their study died from lead poisoning; 11 of
these had lead sinkers in their stomachs. |
| • |
What You Can Do:
Don’t litter. Retrieve all fishing line, hooks, and sinkers you
use or find. Educate others about the problem. Keep abreast of
fishing regulations in your area and support changes to those
rules that will protect loons. |
| Predators |
Predation is a natural part of any healthy ecosystem, but some
loon predators may benefit from their adaptability to human activities.
Raccoons, gulls, crows, and ravens are the major predators of
loon eggs and chicks. These animals are also scavengers on human
refuse, and their numbers have increased as a result of the abundance
of garbage near human dwellings. And humans often dwell near loons
during the loons’ breeding season, bringing more predation pressure
to bear on vulnerable nests and eggs.
|
| • |
What You Can Do:
Keep litter cleaned up. Secure garbage cans. Keep pet food out
of reach of scavengers.
|
Water Pollution
|
| Lake water quality is affected by shoreline development, agricultural
runoff, logging activities, sewage, and atmospheric pollution.
Loons must see underwater to fish. If lakes become cloudy or choked
with vegetation as a result of excessive nutrient runoff, loons
may no longer be able to fish. Acidified lakes are unable to support
fish. In some of these lakes loons attempt to raise their young,
but cannot find enough food for them. The young may survive for
a few weeks, sustained by a diet of aquatic insects, but without
fish they eventually weaken and die. |
| • |
What You Can Do:
Become involved in maintaining good water quality in your lake
through your local lake association. Build responsibly -- if you’re
thinking of building near a loon lake, plan septic service carefully
and avoid clearing the lakefront. Support legislation to protect
wetlands, control acid rain-producing pollution, and regulate
the use of agricultural chemicals. |
|
|
| The information on this pageis an excerpt from the North American
Loon Fund site and the Maine Audubon Society’s “Loon Protection”
flyer.
Contact NALF or your state’s NALF Affiliate for more information
on what you can do to protect loons. As a member of NALF, you
can contribute directly to efforts to educate the public about
the importance of protecting loons and their habitat.
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