| Upcoming Events |
Loon Cruises on
Squam Lake
Mondays & Fridays, June 5 - August 28;
3 pm
June 8; 7 pm*
Lakes Region chapter potluck will begin at 5:30 pm
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What's That Call?
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Loons have 4 distinct calls.
Click here to listen!
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| Contact Us |
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P.O. Box 604
Lee's Mill Road
Moultonborough, NH 03254
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The weather was just spectacular for our Summer Luncheon and Auction on June 4! Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to Jeff Fair, for entertaining our guests with tales of loons and bears.
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A beautiful view overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee from Bald Peak Colony Club in Moultonborough.
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A packed room of nearly 200 people listen as Jeff Fair shows slides and shares stories of yellow-billed loons and Alaska's brown bears.
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I am also thrilled to report that we exceeded our goal for the Member-a-Day in May membership drive! Thank you to the 33 new members who joined, and of course to our existing members for your continued support. Congratulations to B. Groth of Los Angeles, S. Parmenter of Sunapee, & J. Huber of Lowell who won the canvas loon print, tickets to a Loon Cruise on Squam Lake, and the stained glass suncatcher, respectively.
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A beautiful image captured on LPC's webcam on a rainy June morning.
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The webcam pair is still nesting and if all goes well, we expect to see the first chick around June 17-18. See below for videos and an update. If you would like to stream the loon cam at a kiosk or similar site, let me know and I can send you a link! In other monitoring regions, loons are starting to nest as well, so please make sure to give them plenty of space. Our field biologists have been on the job for a few weeks now and should be finishing up their first round of surveys. They've had to deal with a ton of black flies and lots of rain so far, but they continue to smile. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it!
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Sarah Cantwell, Sunapee region field biologist, surveys
Coniston Lake.
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We have a great line-up for our Summer Nature Talk Series including bats, snakes, coyotes and bees! Click here for the full schedule and make sure to mark your calendars. All of the talks are held at The Loon Center (183 Lee's Mill Road, Moultonborough) and begin at 7:30 pm.
On a sad note, I have to report that the first 2 lead loons of the 2017 season were collected the week before Memorial Day. Both loons were found alive and transported to wildlife rehabilitator, Maria Colby, by NH Fish & Game Conservation Officers. X-rays at Capital Area Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (CAVES) of both birds showed fishing tackle in the loons' gizzards. The first one collected from Massabesic Lake, died overnight; and the second one, collected from northern NH, was euthanized because its blood lead levels were more than 3 times the threshold for clinical lead poisoning.
Please remind friends and family that lead fishing sinkers and jigs weighing less than 1 oz are illegal in New Hampshire. There is a collection bin for lead tackle at The Loon Center, and we welcome you to bring your old lead tackle in anytime so we can dispose of it properly. All of the Fish & Game Regional Offices have collection containers as well.
Until next time,
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The Loon Cam Pair is Heading into Their Third Week!
People from all over the U.S. and 83 countries around the world have been tuning in to LPC's live loon cam! We recently switched to streaming it live on
YouTube
which has been well received. Unfortunately with this switch, viewers cannot control the camera, but the picture is much better, and it can be more easily viewed by folks with slower internet connections. Please share the link with your friends so more people can enjoy following a pair of nesting loons up close. There's less than 2 weeks until the expected hatch date!
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An amazing reflection captured on the webcam last week.
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We've captured some neat clips from the timelapse footage and have posted the videos on our YouTube channel. Here's one of an adult loon wailing on the nest for its mate to return. When the incubating loon is ready for a break it will often wail to its mate to come back so they can switch places. It's funny how much sound comes out, but the loon barely opens its bill! Both adults take turns incubating the eggs, but females tend to sit more during the nighttime hours while the male is patrolling the territory. The next video is of a snapping turtle "visiting" the nest. The loon did not seem extremely bothered by this interaction; however, it did lower its head over the nest and pointed its bill directly at the turtle. Don't panic! While snapping turtles would certainly make a meal of loon eggs if the opportunity presented itself, I think this one might reconsider before visiting again (when the loon is present). The loon's bill is such a powerful weapon!
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Soon after the second egg was laid, the female gets up to turn
the eggs.
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Chris Conrod, former LPC Field Program Coordinator, has also been writing blog posts about the activity happening at the nest and about general loon nesting behavior. Make sure to check out these blog entries which you can find on the loon cam page. You may learn something that you didn't already know!
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Yakking for Loons: July 7
Join the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) for the 6th Annual "Kayak-A-Thon" or "Yakking for Loons" on Friday, July 7th. Paddlers will meet at 8:00 a.m. at Lee's Mill Landing on Lake Winnipesaukee, just down the road from The Loon Center. Choose between the 2.5 mile "Ganzy" course or the 4.6 mile "Green's Basin" course, or do BOTH! An LPC biologist will paddle along beside you to answer your questions and point out local loon habitat and behavior.
The registration fee is $12 and includes a light lunch.
Yakkers are encouraged to solicit additional pledges to benefit the work of the Loon Preservation Committee. Collect $100 or more in pledges over and above your registration fee and receive a "Yakking for Loons" long-sleeve t-shirt! A prize will be awarded to the top fundraiser. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Click here to download a registration form and here to download a pledge form. The registration deadline is July 5.
Special thanks to Curt's Caterers and Irving for sponsoring this event.
We look forward to seeing you on the water!
For more information or to register by phone, please call 603-476-LOON (5666).
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The Loon Preservation Committee is dedicated to restoring and maintaining a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; monitoring the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and promoting a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.
Sincerely,
Susie Burbidge
Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
Loon Preservation Committee
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