What's the saying for March? It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb! The first two weeks of March sure brought lots of snow to the Granite State--more than 3 feet in most spots! It is melting now though as we've been having more seasonal temperatures, the sun has been shining on and off, and we've had some rain showers mixed-in too. So far only one person has written to me with an ice-out prediction. April 10 might not be too far off! It seems like as soon as there is a small patch of open water in the spring, the rest of the lake opens up very quickly.
Once again LPC hosted the annual Northeast Loon Study Working Group (NELSWG) meeting at The Loon Center in mid-March. This 2-day meeting gives us an opportunity to meet with fellow loon researchers in the Northeast to discuss current research and future research needs, as well as talk about other management and outreach needs too. The 2018 agenda was jam-packed this year with topics including common loon wintering behavior, a study on lead in loon bones, an update on the Fish Lead Free Initiative in New Hampshire and Maine, trends in mercury levels in Adirondack loons, cyanotoxins and the food web, climate change, and the LPC webcam. That's just a short list of presentations! As always, it was a very informative and interesting meeting.
