My loon-count crew was ready with time to spare, fortified with Fruit Loops and cranberry juice (I know it�s a sugar bomb, but hey, we�re grandparents). I spread the map on the console of the boat, shoved off from the dock, and headed out to do my part for loon science on sector 3 of […]
loon count
Annual loon count scheduled for July 16
Did you know that loon chicks can swim right away but need parental care for their first three months? That the shape of a loon�s forehead or length of its neck can change to indicate stress? And that Maine is fortunate to be home to the largest Common Loon population in the Northeast? For nearly […]
2021 Annual Loon Count Shows Importance of Long Term Studies
Adults up, chicks down, but what does it all mean? As Maine Audubon releases the data from its 2021 Annual Loon Count, it underscores the importance of long-term studies and highlights the need to look beyond the one-day count to understand the data.� The annual loon count takes place on the third Saturday of July, […]
The 2021 Annual Loon Count is in the books!
Once again, as they have every year since 1983, volunteers across Maine set their alarm clocks early, gulped down some coffee, and were out on lakes by 7 a.m. to record observations about Common Loons in the Annual Loon Count. For half an hour, more than a thousand volunteers were paddling kayaks, rowing skiffs, or […]
Volunteers Get Creative During 2020 Annual Loon Count
In a year when it seemed like just about everything could go wrong, a few things did go right. Thanks to 48 regional coordinators and 1,347 volunteers, Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count was one of them. They overcame many hurdles in order to complete the annual snapshot census of Maine’s loon population that takes place […]
Notes on the 2020 Loon Count!
This year marked the thirty-seventh straight year that Maine Audubon has engaged volunteers, early in the morning on the third Saturday of July, to count loons on lakes across the state. The 2020 Maine Annual Loon Count stands out in this long-running tradition for a few reasons. Falling this year on the 200th day of […]
Results of the 2019 Loon Count
For the 36th year in a row, community scientists all over Maine ventured onto their local lakes and ponds on the third Saturday in July this year to count Common Loons. In total, 1, 414 people participated in the count this year (up from 1,350 in 2018), covering 292 lakes. Click here to see images, […]
2019 Loon Count Roundup! Images, Video, and Headlines from the Big Day!
The 36th Annual Maine Loon Count was conducted this past Saturday, July 20. It was a hot, steamy morning … perfect for cruising around a Maine lake looking for loons! Each year the loon count attracts more than 1,000 volunteers counting on more than 500 lakes. Maine Audubon biologists will be collecting the reports and […]
Results of the 2018 Loon Count
This past July marked the 35th anniversary of Maine Audubon’s Annual Loon Count. As has happened on each third Saturday of July since 1984, a corps of dedicated volunteers ventured out on lakes and ponds across the state to search for, and count, Common Loons. In the 2018 count, 1,350 people participated, tallying loon adults […]