Given that Common Loons are one of the most beloved creatures in Maine, it’s no surprise that hundreds of volunteers have stepped up to monitor the breeding success of loon pairs. As a result of their dedication, we know vastly more about loon productivity on Maine lakes and ponds and the threats facing loon breeding pairs throughout the state.
Between 2021 and 2025, more than 375 volunteers submitted observations of 268 loon breeding pairs and their families on more than a hundred lakes and ponds. Yet with more than 6,000 lakes in Maine, we need your help to learn more. If you’re interested in tracking a loon breeding pair on your pond and joining a vibrant community of community scientists, email conserve@maineaudubon.org to find out about monitoring training sessions and opportunities to learn how to responsibly survey loons.
GETTING STARTED
Watch these recordings from previous webinars about loon breeding pair monitoring to familiarize yourself with the survey methods.
• 2026 Breeding Pair Monitoring Webinar for New Participants
• 2026 Breeding Pair Monitoring Refresher for Current Volunteers
Once you’ve learned how to recognize loon behaviors and understand what they are telling us, identify chick development stages, and survey loon nests and chicks from a safe distance, here are some additional resources to help get you started:
• Download a printable survey form for your lake
If you have any questions about surveying or would like to submit your forms (in addition to entering your observations online), email questions and completed survey forms to loonrestoration@maineaudubon.org.
• Use this Reference Sheet to help you identify loon stress behaviors, territorial signs, and chick development stages while you’re on the water.
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How Close Is Too Close? Check out our brochure on loon stress behaviors and how to tell if you’re too close to a loon.
We’re interested in observations of loon pairs all over Maine to help us learn where chicks hatch and survive, and provide clues as to why nesting doesn’t succeed. Our goal is weekly surveys throughout the season, but any and all observations help us learn more about the successes and challenges experienced by Maine loons during the breeding season. If you host a loon nesting raft or nest warning signs, it’s important to monitor the pair at least weekly and it’s fine to get help with the surveys.
The success of rafts and signs depends on local volunteers tracking a loon pair’s nesting activity, success hatching chicks, chick survival, human disturbance, and the condition of the raft or signs.
Additional Loon Resources: