Volume 92 | November 14th, 2019

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Greetings!
Snow has officially fallen in New Hampshire, a signal that the 2019 loon season is drawing to a close. Many of New Hampshire's loons have already left for their breeding grounds, and those that still remain on our lakes and ponds will be heading for the ocean in the coming weeks. The photo below was taken on November 11th on a lake in the Sunapee region of New Hampshire. LPC volunteers report that one adult has left the lake, and the other remains with the chick. This chick is the youngest that we documented in New Hampshire this year—it hatched sometime between August 11th and August 14th, making it 13 weeks old.
An adult loon and its chick remain on a New Hampshire lake. The adult has begun to molt into its winter plumage, and the chick has fully developed its juvenile plumage. Photo courtesy of Kathy Springsteen.
Though the loon season is winding down, LPC staff have been keeping busy! Since my last email, LPC biologists responded to a report of another loon in distress. The loon, a juvenile, become tangled in fishing line in early October. It evaded capture on two rescue attempts before LPC staff and volunteers were finally successful in catching and untangling it on October 10th. The loon was taken to the vet to make sure that it had not ingested any lead tackle and to have the injuries to its face and bill assessed. After a brief period of rehabilitation, the loon was deemed fit for release. On October 12th, LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley banded the loon and released it back onto its lake. With the help of volunteers we will continue to monitor its progress until it leaves for the ocean.
Volunteer Steve Ford holds the loon while LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley bands it prior to releasing it back onto the lake. Photo courtesy of Maria Colby.
On October 29th, LPC biologists had the opportunity to meet with pathologists from the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and other collaborators to discuss this year's loon mortality cases. Determining causes of loon mortality has played a vital role in shaping LPC's population management strategies, and we greatly valued the opportunity to meet and share ideas with all of our collaborators. The following week, we met with our Technical Committee to review this year's monitoring data and receive feedback on the research projects that LPC biologists have been working on. Please see the end of this email for some interesting game camera photos that were taken as part of one of our ongoing research projects!
LPC staff have also been busy preparing for our Annual Holiday Open House. Be sure to mark your calendars—this year the Open House will be held on Saturday, November 30th from 10 AM-2 PM. With activities including face painting, balloon animals, horse-drawn wagon rides, kids crafts, and a visit from Santa, it's sure to be a great time! Winners of LPC's Annual Benefit Raffle will be drawn at the end of the open house. If you have not purchased raffle tickets yet, there is still time! This event is open to the public and free of charge. We hope to see you there!
Wishing you a wonderful start to the holiday season!

All the best,

Caroline

Caroline Hughes
Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator
Loon Preservation Committee
Caught on Camera: 2019 Edition
A loon on Squam Lake kindly allows a Canada goose to perch on its raft. This loon's attitude towards its visitor directly contrasts with that of a loon from First Connecticut Lake (pictured below), which chased its goose visitor away.
In this photo taken on First Connecticut Lake, the goose's wing can be seen close to the camera as it flushes from the nest raft. The loon is on the opposite side of the nest, having just chased the goose off.
A newly hatched chick emerges and shares a bonding moment with its parent on Winnisquam Lake.
The same chick from Winnisquam Lake sits on its parent's back while still on the nest.
Upcoming Events

LPC's Annual Benefit Raffle is up and running! To view our prizes, please click HERE. To purchase raffle tickets, give us a call at (603)476-5666. Winners will be announced at the end of LPC's Holiday Open House on Saturday, November 30th.

LPC's Holiday Open House will be held from 10 AM - 2 PM on Saturday November 30th.

Join us Sunday, December 8th from 1 PM - 4 PM for our first ever holiday gift wrapping party! Stop by and pick up some holiday gifts from our store and we'll wrap them for you!
Loon Preservation Committee | 603-476-LOON (5666) | www.loon.org

Loon Center Hours: Open Sunday-Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
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.