Bruce and Gail Small could not stop exclaiming as they navigated their boat in and around the bays, nooks, crannies, and marinas at a busy end of Sebago Lake. It was their fourth year participating in Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count. Bruce navigated the boat while Gail recorded each sighting carefully on the map. And […]
loon count
Maine Audubon Annual Loon Count to Take Place July 19
The tremolo, the hoot, the wail, the yodel—some say that loon calls are among the best sounds in nature. One thing is for sure: People in Maine love “their” loons! Year after year, they get up early in mid July and head out, no matter what the weather, to take part in the Maine Audubon […]
A New Way to Get Involved with the Annual Loon Count
The 42nd year of Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count is fast approaching! Adult Common Loons on their wintering grounds off the coast of Maine are likely already molting their winter plumage and transitioning back into breeding plumage, developing the distinctive pattern and colors many of us associate with loons, as well as new flight feathers […]
Maine Audubon’s 41st Annual Loon Count Results Show Healthy Loon Population
Above photo: Loons on Fields Pond, Photo by Wayne Foote It was a very good year—for Maine loons! When every single number associated with the Annual Loon Count goes up, scientists at Maine Audubon say it’s a great indication that the Common Loon population is healthy. All the numbers of adult loons, loon chicks, lakes […]
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 […]
Numbers are in for Maine Audubon’s 40th Annual Loon Count
(Above photo: This striking photo was taken by Elizabeth Payne, an annual loon counter; used by permission) And just like that we have 40 years of loon count data for the state of Maine! On July 15, 1503 volunteer loon counters headed out to 374 lakes to gather important data, allowing Maine Audubon to calculate […]
Loon Count: Forty years and still counting!
The morning of Saturday, July 15, dawned with clouds and light drizzle. But that did not deter the hundreds of volunteers who fanned out across the state on several hundred Maine lakes to count loons! Those clouds along with heavy fog did make for poor visibility in some of the more northern areas, but overall […]
Join Maine Audubon’s 40th annual loon count on July 15
Early Saturday morning in mid July, on the shores of hundreds of Maine lakes, people are getting coffee and tea, studying maps, prepping their boats, dusting off binoculars, and meeting up with neighbors who they may only see this one time each year: They are getting ready for the Annual Loon Count. For four decades, […]
Maine Audubon’s 2022 Loon Count Brings in New Lakes, Counters!
Final results from Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count for 2022 estimate that adult loon numbers dipped slightly this year but chick numbers are up! Long-term trends continue to show a strong adult population that has grown steadily over the years, and a stable population of chicks over time. The annual loon count takes place on […]