THE POND

OUR LOONS

INTERESTING LINKS

AROUND THE POND

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Loon Preservation Committee

The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) was created in 1975 in response to concerns about a dramatically declining loon population and the effects of human activities on loons. LPC’s mission is to restore and maintain a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; to monitor the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and to promote a greater understanding of loons and the larger natural world

Learn more at : www.loon.org

Here are some tips from the Loon Preservation Committee

Give the loons some space!

Appreciate loons from a safe distance with a good pair of binoculars. Give nesting and brooding loons a wide berth, at least 50-100 yards. Loons flushed from the nest may abandon their eggs. After lead sinker poisonings, boat collisions are the highest known cause of loon deaths in New Hampshire. Loon chicks are especially vulnerable to boat collisions, and may be exposed to predators if they become separated from their parents.

Get the lead out!

Use non-lead fishing sinkers and jigs, and retrieve broken fishing line. Fishing line entanglement and lead poisoning from sinkers are leading causes of mortality for New Hampshire loons.

Read the signs!

Learn to read the signs of loon behavior. Foraging loons will communicate alarm by squaring their brow and sinking lower in the water-signs that the observer should quickly back away. An agitated nesting loon will lower its head over the edge of its nest, ready to flee. If you see this, move away-you're much too close!
Alarmed loons may also give their famous "laughing" tremolo or yodel calls, spread their wings, and even do an upright "penguin dance". Make sure that you are not the source of the alarm, and then keep an eye out-- when the distress is caused by non-human disturbance, such as the territorial intrusion of another loon, you may get to see a fascinating display of wildlife behavior.

Loons on Long Pond

1. Loons Arrived: Late March 2010

2. # of chicks hatched: 2     2010

3. Loons left Long Pond: Mid-October  2010

1. 2011 Pond Open- April 22

2. Loons Arrived: April 23

3. Two chicks hatched around June 28th

1. 2012 Pond Open - March 20th

2. Loons Arrived: March 24th

3. No Chicks survived

1. 2013Pond Open- April 15

2. Loons Arrived: April 16

3. Two chicks hatched July 21st and 22nd (second try)

1. 2014 Pond Open- April 20

2. Loons Arrived: April 22

3. Chicks:

All Recordings Courtesy of Lang Elliott Nature Sound Studios.

Do you have some great photos of our loons?

Attach them to an email and send them
to info@longpondnh.com

Effects of Lead Fishing Tackle

Loon Calendar

Journey of the Common Loon

Loon Facts