The 43rd Annual Loon Count is a wrap! More than a thousand volunteers headed out on the water and surveyed more than 400 lakes across the state from 7 to 7:30 am on Saturday July 18. Despite some wind, it was a beautiful morning for the Loon Count.
We want to give a huge shout out and thank you to all of the volunteers who participated and contributed important data about the population of loons in Maine. Maine Audubon staff are now busy receiving and analyzing data to learn about the 2026 population estimate and trends. In the meantime, we wanted to highlight a few stories from our Loon Counters this year. Each volunteer has their own unique story, from peaceful solo kayak trips to generations of families on one boat to communities coming together to celebrate after the count.
Hear from some of our Loon Counters and Regional Coordinators below:
From the Belgrade Lakes area, Regional Coordinator Ron Fluet of Messalonskee Lake feels that the “Loon Count is a day when everyone smiles and feels part of something much bigger than one boat or one lake.”
This is certainly true for Ed and Kerri Oliver who take loon counting very seriously on Messalonskee Lake. “Our family, including 4 young grandchildren, hit the lake at 6:45 am to count our assigned area and then return home to host a brunch with fellow loon counters,” they report. “Our daughter Chelsey stepped it up a bit this year with Loons and Pontoons T-shirts. More than 30 people ordered shirts and the extra money collected will go to our local lake association. We also added our mascot, Lou the Loon (Lou was not included in our official loon count tally). We mark this as one of our favorite lake days and encourage all loon counters to celebrate the day in style.”
[Above photo: Multiple generations of the Oliver family surveying for the Loon Count, photo courtesy of Ed and Kerri Oliver]
In Waldo County, Andy Zadnik shared that “The morning of the loon count, five of us with cottages on Pitcher Pond boarded a pontoon boat for a cruise around the lake. Up to four loons had been seen the day before, so we were hopeful they’d make an ‘official’ appearance for the count. Unfortunately, after motoring more than halfway up the lake, it seemed like we might get skunked. Finally, near the north end, we spotted two. The motor was cut, and we just floated within 20 to 30 yards. At one point, the loons actually paddled over towards us, and we were treated to a great view of such a beautiful bird—so emblematic of northern lakes.”
Regional Coordinator Pamela Page says, “Bright and early on July 18, the Liberty region sent out 19 groups of loon counters to survey our lakes and ponds. It was a beautiful, tranquil morning, the loons mostly cooperative, and an overall enjoyable experience. We have a tradition here of gathering after the count on the porch of the Liberty Graphics outlet store in downtown Liberty. We enjoyed an assortment of donated snacks, socialized, and shared our loon count adventures. This year I brought instant coffee and received much constructive feedback on its awfulness. Lesson learned! Thank you to Maine Audubon for organizing the Annual Loon Count and monitoring the status of Maine’s loon population. And a big thank you to all the volunteer loon counters in Liberty and throughout Maine for participating and keeping an eye out for loons!”
Thank you to all of our dedicated Loon Counters and Coordinators for participating in the 43rd Annual Loon Count! Our committed volunteers (some of whom have been counting since the very first Loon Count in 1983!) are invaluable in helping to monitor the loon population in Maine and we look forward to reporting on the 2026 results in the coming months
