LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1501551
LOCALadk 57 Personally, I have learned a lot from the loons, including an understanding of their behavior and the conservation threats affecting their populations and the aquatic ecosystems where they live, as well as co- ordinating field crews to monitor and band the birds. Along the way, I have also learned to take the mis- haps of fieldwork in stride, anything from flat tires and forgetting to put a plug in a boat, to getting lost on the back roads (some of which are quite question- able…) of the Adirondacks. There have been many rewards too, especially the wonderful experience of rescuing loons who are tan- gled in fishing line, iced-in, or came down on a road. It is almost magical — to hold a loon in your hands as you release it, knowing you have helped save such a spectacular bird. Sadly, we also learn from those birds who die – sometimes from lead poisoning after accidentally swallowing lead fishing tackle, being shot, or after a fight with another loon. So, what is a loon's life like? Loons migrate back to the Adirondacks in April, of- ten appearing on their territories the day the ice lets out on a lake. In late April and May, the loons pair up, sometimes switching mates (no – they don't mate for life, but of- ten stay with the same mate for years) and occasional- ly fighting off other loons to maintain their territories. Despite the blackflies, loons may build a nest in May, although sometimes they wait until after the flies have subsided. They usually lay 1 or 2 eggs (rarely 3) which hatch after 26-28 days. If the first nest fails, they may renest, so sometimes loon chicks hatch as late as mid-August. Loon nests are primarily susceptible to predation, flooding during rainy summers, and human disturbance. When they first hatch, loon chicks are tiny puff-balls of black down, weighing barely 100 grams (lighter than a bar of soap!). They grow very quickly as both parents care for them, keeping them warm on their backs under a wing and feeding them a variety of insects, small fish, and crayfish. Loon chicks are often lost due to predation, intruding loons, and human interference.