Above photo: The 2024 Loon Restoration Crew. Top Row (left to right): Tracy Hart, Brooke Adam, Autumn Dorr, Anne Heissenbuttel. Bottom Row (left to right): Marley Cloutier, Oskar Mattes, Ethan Daly. © Oskar Mattes By Ethan Daly, Loon Restoration Team Technician The total impact of conservation work is rarely seen by those who make it happen. […]
Loon Restoration Project
Maine Audubon Annual Loon Count Set for July 20
Nothing symbolizes summer in Maine quite like the haunting wail of a loon. The urge to help them and make sure that future generations will be able to hear that call is what has galvanized people to turn out, year after year, early on a Saturday morning in July, to count loons and aid in […]
Help Loons on the Fourth of July
Maine Audubon has been working to protect Common Loons for decades, so we know that the Fourth of July is one of the busiest periods on Maine lakes and ponds. The potential for conflict is high, especially since many loons have vulnerable chicks by their sides in July or may still be nesting. In many […]
Happy Fourth of July: Loon Restoration Project Update
By Ethan Daly, Loon Restoration Team Technician I was recently checking in on one of our new loon nesting raft sites near Gray, Maine. As I stood on the shore, speaking with a volunteer about how to minimize human disturbances to the raft, we watched two paddle boarders weave in between our strategically placed raft […]
Loon on a Raft: Loon Restoration Project Update
By Oskar Mattes, Loon Restoration Technician The start of May is a busy time of year for life of all kinds across our state. Songbirds are returning to their breeding grounds, the forsythia and daffodils are in full bloom, and the oak and maple leaves are just starting to peek out. Common Loons are also […]
Talking Tackle with the Fish Lead Free team
Maine Audubon’s Fish Lead Free project has been busy over the winter attending events and spreading the lead-free fishing word! Why lead-free? Because loons! Loons will mistake small lead sinkers on lake bottoms for gravel to help aid in digestion or will consume fish that have a piece of lead tackle in them. It only […]
Singing in the Rain with the Maine Loon Restoration Project
One of Maine Audubon’s most visible projects is the Annual Loon Count, where more than 1500 volunteers go out, on the third Saturday in July, to count loons and give us a snapshot of the loon population. But we’ve also got a major project aimed at increasing loon nesting success and survival, called the Maine […]
Loon chicks hatching on new artificial nesting platforms!
It�s always exciting when a loon chick hatches, but this summer we�re more excited than ever to announce that a loon chick has hatched on an artificial nesting platform! As part of the new Maine Loon Restoration Project, Maine Audubon has worked with volunteers to put out 13 loon rafts this year. We�re thrilled to […]
Loon raft building workshops kick off this spring
Kicking off a new 5-year project to help loon breeding success! One component is to build loon rafts. The goal of the raft program is to increase the number of loon chicks hatched through placement and monitoring of nearly 100 loon nesting rafts in territories with low nesting success. When used in the right ways […]