The Fall Exodus Begins
As fall approaches, we’ve seen that many of our seasonal residents have already buttoned up their camps to begin their fall migration to the warmer climates. The loons are no exception. Loons, of course spend their summers on our lakes, but winter on the open ocean down near Biddeford Pool, etc. This exodus begins as early as late August for some, and stretches to November for others. Adults with chicks, unsurprisingly, tend to stay later but do not fly off together, which is strange.
It has not been a great year for loon productivity and potential future residents. Long Pond had only one chick this summer who is still with us as of this writing. Great Pond started with seven chicks and is now down to just four. As you are aware, our lack of productivity has been due in most part to adult loon intruders not allowing the habitual nesting pairs to work their magic. And in several instances, human interference in the form of inquisitive paddleboarders, kayakers, and swimmers, etc. hasn’t helped the situation.
To make matters worse, we collected eleven abandoned eggs, in addition to a few that had been preyed upon by local raccoons, mink, and maybe an otter or two. They would have accounted for at least another eleven chicks. We collected five abandoned eggs last year and seven in 2022. This is getting to be more common throughout the northeast and is being extensively studied to come to some resolution. Hopefully, sooner than later! Without our consistent chick productivity, the future is certainly for our loon population could be in jeopardy. Or have we seen this before?
Our esteemed loon mentor Lee Attix will be assessing and compiling all of this summer’s data and sharing our work with that of the rest of New England’s wildlife biologists to hopefully figure out what is going on and to provide some guidance for next summer and those that follow. We’ll be posting the findings on the BLA website in mid-September.
As this is our final Call of the Loon column for this season, I want to thank Esther, Michael and Gregor, and the rest of the Summertime in the Belgrades staff for their support this past summer. I also want to thank all of you for your care and support of our cherished loon population. It has been my sincere pleasure to be just a part of this project.
Dick Greenan is chairman of the Belgrade Lakes Association’s Loon Preservation Project.
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