ADIRONDACK AND LAKES FOR MORE INFORMATION: NEED YOUR HELP! lthough the Adirondack Park provides A suitable for breeding loons, the summering population in the Park still faces many challenges. YOU CAN HELP! WCS’ Adirondack Conservation Program Keep Shorelines Natural: Help maintain ~The Cycle of the this critical habitat for nesting wildlife and 7 Brandy Brook Ave, Suite 204 for the quality of our lake water. Saranac Lake, NY 12983 ~ (518) 891-8872, [email protected] Out on a Lake? Keep your distance (~100 feet or more) from loons and other wildlife, www.wcs.org/adirondackloons so that you do not disturb them. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Going Fishing? Loon Conservation Program is dedicated to ∗ Use Non-Lead Fishing Sinkers and improving the overall health of the environment, Jigs. Lead fishing tackle is poisonous to particularly the protection of air and water loons and other wildlife when quality, through collaborative research and accidentally ingested. education efforts focusing on the natural history ∗ Pack Out Your Line. Invisible in the of the Common Loon (Gavia immer) and water, lost or cut fishing line can conservation issues affecting loon populations entangle loons and other wildlife, often and their aquatic . with fatal results. THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY IS Be an Environmentally Wise Consumer: GRATEFUL TO ITS COLLABORATORS FOR THEIR Many forms of environmental pollution SUPPORT OF THE LOON PROGRAM: result from the incineration of fossil Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks - fuels, primarily from coal-fired power The W!ld Center plants and vehicles, negatively affecting www.wildcenter.org A guide to the seasonal

Adirondack ecosystems and their wild NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation and human inhabitants. For example, www.dec.state.ny.us cycle of Common Loons

mercury accumulates up the BioDiversity Research Institute and can reach toxic levels in and www.briloon.org and conservation concerns

people. Audubon Society of New York State affecting their populations www.auduboninternational.org/programs/asny Please choose products wisely — conserve energy, recycle, and safely dispose of ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ products that contain toxins such as mercury This brochure was adapted from Audubon’s and lead. “Living in Loon Territory” brochure by Mike Prescott. ~MAY-JULY~ building and incubation

In late May to early June, loon pairs build a nest in a protected area, often on the shore of a small or on a floating bog mat. An ideal nest site is sheltered from wind, waves, predators, and the activities of people. Both the male and female are involved with nest preparation. Occasionally, the first nest will fail (e.g.: from water level changes or of the ), and the loons renest. Thus, loons can be observed nesting from May until late July or even ~MARCH – APRIL~ August. ~JULY – AUGUST~ The return of spring and the Common Loon The nest is constructed from nearby vegetation (e.g. Raising and protecting the loon chicks to the Adirondack Mountains reeds, grasses) and mud, and is placed just a few inches above the surface of the water so that the can After the loon chicks hatch, they are moved by the “The ice is out, the loons are back!” is a statement easily get on and off the nest. One or two (very rarely adults to a “nursery bay”. This is an area away from the often made by those living around Adirondack lakes three) large brown spotted eggs. The female often does nest site, with shallow water and an abundance of reeds in late March and early April. Depending upon the the majority of incubation at night, while both adults for cover. During the first two weeks of life, small distance they have to travel, the loons usually arrive tend the nest and incubate the eggs during the day. The chicks will often ride on their parents’ backs for on their “home lakes” soon after “ice-out”. tiny black downy chicks hatch in ~26-30 days. warmth and protection from underwater predators.

During the early spring, Common Loons migrate from What to Look for: What to Look for: their wintering grounds to summer territories on Please be careful when boating or paddling near the The adult loons usually have one or two chicks Adirondack lakes and ponds. They spend the winter shoreline from May to July when loons are on their swimming near or between them. The devoted parents on the open ocean in subdued gray and white . Nesting loons can easily be disturbed, and if the spend a great deal of time catching small for the . Just before flying inland or shortly after incubating adult is frequently off the nest, the eggs chicks. As one adult feeds the young, the other may returning to their summer territories, loon molt into could chill or be taken by a predator. When nesting, “peer” underwater, checking frequently below the their distinctive breeding black and white plumage. one adult may be out fishing alone, while the other surface to see what the feeding adult is doing. Males usually arrive on lakes approximately two remains on the nest. Sometimes when nesting loons are weeks before the females to establish their territories approached, they “hang over” the edge of the nest. This When the chicks are very young, one adult is always in for the summer months ahead. position serves as camouflage or enables them to attendance. The chicks become more independent as What to Look for: quickly slide into the water and distract the person or they grow, and begin to swim and fish further away from their parents. At ~2-3 weeks, their down changes During the mating season, courtship behavior is very predator away from the nest. from black to brown, then at ~7-8 weeks of age, they subtle. The pair swim and dive together, performing get gray, scaly-looking . The chicks are almost quiet ritualized behaviors, such as “bill dipping” (not three months old before they have learned to fish well to be confused with territorial displays such as and are capable of flying. “ dancing” and yodeling primarily done by male loons). These courtship rituals reestablish the Please be aware of adult loons and their chicks if you pair bond of birds who have been mated for many are boating on an Adirondack lake. Adult loons will summers. Current research indicates that warn you away with tremolo and yodel calls. If you approximately 80% of these long lived (20 to 30 see “penguin dancing’ you might indeed be the cause. years) birds return to the same territory and have the same mate year after year. Please back away and observe from a distance. Please observe loon behavior from a distance Please stay well away from loon nesting areas Loons are especially territorial with chicks, during the breeding season. and observe nesting birds from a distance. and very protective parents. ~SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER~ What to Look for: Fall returns and loons prepare for departure On Adirondack lakes in late fall, Common Loons

The chicks grow very fast, and, by two months, they begin to migrate. Often adults will gather and feed change into their juvenile gray feathers. They retain together on larger lakes in “rafts”. Loons migrate in this coloration after they migrate to the ocean in the small groups or as individuals. Some loons wait for fall. They live on the ocean for two to four years the last moment before “ice-up” and begin their mi- before returning to the Adirondacks to establish a gration in late November or December. breeding territory of their own. Loons need to run on the water for several hundred By 11 or 12 weeks of age, they can feed themselves yards to get airborne. However, once in the air, they and begin to fly. The chicks experiment with short, are very powerful and fast fliers. Some birds fly to practice flights up and down the lake, and then take ~NOVEMBER – MARCH~ the Atlantic coast in a matter of hours, making a trip longer flights to other lakes. As the chicks increase of close to 200 miles in less than a day. Others stop at their independence, the adult birds socialize more with Migration from the Adirondacks - large lakes or rivers along the way, before finally other loons, and may be seen in social groups or life on the wintering grounds making it to their winter’s destination. You can fol- “rafts” on other lakes. The juvenile loons are often left low the migration of some Adirondack loons on the The Common Loon summering on Adirondack lakes for extended periods of time to fend for themselves. Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program’s website, spends the winter on the ocean. Adult birds migrate www.adkscience.org/loons. The adults begin to molt into their winter plumage by in late fall to their wintering area along the Atlantic late October, losing their coast. Juveniles journey to the ocean after the adults, If you go south during the winter and are near the distinctive black and usually waiting until the lakes start freezing up and coast, you may see the same loons you saw during white coloration. Their they have to move elsewhere. the summer in the Adirondack Park. However, look feathers are often found for birds in a gray, dull plumage instead of the more The loons must adapt to living on saltwater for the floating on the surface of striking black and white breeding coloration usually winter months. Like many other ocean-living birds, Adirondack lakes after a associated with loons. Other of loons, such as they excrete salt though a gland in their nasal session. The juveniles are almost the size of the red-throated and yellow-billed loons, are also passages, resulting in a salty fluid draining from their the adults in late fall, and it can become difficult to occasionally observed in the wintering areas. It takes nostrils. They also change their diet to the prey that is tell them apart. good observation skills to be able to tell the species available near the coast, such as crabs and . apart in the winter months!

What to Look for: Loons can be exposed to different hazards while As spring returns to the mountains in March and Adult loons have plumage that is very dull and similar living on the ocean, especially when they molt their April, so will the Common Loon. to the gray juvenile coloration. Juveniles are about the flight feathers in late winter and are incapable of same size as the adults. Both adult and juvenile loons flying until the feathers grow back in. They can be swim and feed away from each other or “raft” up and caught in commercial fishing nets or in an accidental socialize with other birds. There maybe several loons oil spill. There are also occasional blooms of on the same lake. along some coasts (e.g.: the Gulf Coast of ) Please observe the birds from a distance. that produce toxins and sicken many birds.

Adults molt back into their black and white breeding plumage in late winter/early spring, and begin the cycle all over again, migrating back to the Adirondacks in April or May. The previous summer’s chicks, however, spend the next several years on the ocean, not returning to the Adirondacks to find a mate and establish their own territory until they are fully mature adults. ~ COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMON LOONS ~

How long do loons live? Do loons return to the same territory every How many species of loons live in New York? A long-lived species, common loons can live to year? There are five species of loons in the world, all living be 20-30 years old. Loons will usually return to the same territory year in North America. Other species include the Artic

after year, making them an excellent species for Loon, , Yellow-billed Loon, and Red- Are loons endangered? long-term studies. throated Loon. Only Common Loons breed in New In New York State, loons are classified as a Species York, primarily in the Adirondack Park. However, of Special Concern, which means biologists are Where do loons migrate? Red-throated and Yellow-billed Loons are interested in monitoring their populations levels. Loons migrate to the open waters of the ocean occasionally observed in New York during In other states, loons are classified as threatened. during the winter months. Based on research migration. Common Loons are protected under the federal conducted in New York State, Adirondack loons Migratory Bird Act. spend the winter off the Atlantic Coast from What are the threats to loons?

Massachusetts south to . Banded There are many threats that loons face throughout Do Loons mate for life? Adirondack loon have also been observed in the their home range. On their breeding grounds, Color-banding studies have shown that loons do Gulf Coast of Florida in the winter. Common Loons can be affected by: not mate for life, as once was believed. Some Lead poisoning due to accidentally eating individuals have been known to have several mates Is black and white good camouflage? lead fishing tackle, during the course of their lives. Loons’ coloration helps protect them from Fishing line entanglement,

predators both above and below the water. Their Loss of nesting habitat due to shoreline How can I tell a male from a female loon? white belly blends in with the sky when viewed from development, They have identical plumage, but males can be below, and their black and white “checkerboard” Disturbance from recreation, and differentiated from females in three ways: back is similar to the patterns of light on water. Environmental mercury pollution and acid Males are larger than females. rain. Only females lay eggs. How long can a loon stay under water? Only male loons produce the yodel, an An average dive generally lasts about 40 seconds. During migration and on their wintering grounds, aggressive territorial call. loons can be exposed to: How deep can they dive? , Are there more than one pair of loons on a Loons have been known to dive as deep as 200 feet, Oil spills, lake? but will generally fish in shallower water that Commercial fishing net entanglement, and Loons are very territorial during the breeding have more light, enabling them to locate prey Environmental pollutants. season, and one breeding pair requires at least 25 fish easily. acres for nesting and raising chicks. Depending on Why study loons? the size and shape of a lake, more than one Why do loons have red ? At the top of the aquatic food chain, loons are breeding pair can occupy larger lakes. It is unclear why loons have red eyes - they may be a excellent indicators of the health of the way for them to attract a mate, as the red color environment that they inhabit. How many chicks do loons have? fades dramatically when the adults are in their winter Because of the tremendous amount of time and plumage. Red is also a color that is absorbed There are many organizations in North America energy required to successfully rear loon chicks, underwater, so it’s possible their color helps that are working to identify and alleviate the adults usually raise 1 or 2 chicks per season (3 is camouflage their head while diving and fishing.. conservation concerns impacting the air and water quite rare). quality of common loons and their aquatic habitats.