LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 60 ual animals, and potentially have a population effect as well. Loons are a "K-selected" species, as they live for decades and have a low reproductive rate, producing at most two chicks a year. Thus, threats affecting adult loons can lead to impacting the population as a whole. The rescues we do are vitally important to saving individual loons, and also help maintain the overall population. One of the most common questions people ask us at the Adirondack Loon Center are where to go to see and hear loons. It is a treasured memory to hear the wails and tremolos of these spectacular birds echo over Adirondack lakes and mountains. Fortunately, one can readily find loons on most lakes and ponds across the Park. They are most likely to be calling in the early summer when setting up their territories or when an eagle flies overhead. Loons occasionally do a "night chorus" where mul- tiple birds tremolo, wail, and yodel at once – it's an amazing treat to hear such a cacophony of loon music while camping in the Adirondacks! Through the lives of Adirondack loons, we have acquired a better understanding of the impacts of regional, and even global, environmental concerns, including acid deposition, mercury pollution, and cli- mate change. Common Loons spend their summers, like many human seasonal residents, on lakes and ponds across the Adirondack Park. Being territorial, long-lived, and at the top of the aquatic food web, loons serve as a sentinel of pollutants that accumulate up the aquatic food web. When we capture loons, we collect blood and feath- er samples to learn about their overall health, and their exposure to mercury, other contaminants, and parasites. By monitoring loons across the Park, we have learned about trends in their reproductive success, threats to their nesting success and chick survival, and the impacts of climate change to loon populations. The charismatic nature of loons makes them a perfect species to study as we seek to both understand and conserve Adirondack aquatic ecosystems. Want to learn more? The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is a wealth of information about these unique birds. Visit their Adirondack Loon Center in Saranac Lake, attend one of their presentations or guided paddles, join them for the NY Annual Loon Census (Saturday, July 15, 2023), or explore their website, www.adkloon.org, to learn more about loons, their calls, and the Loon Center's research, conservation efforts, and education programs.

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