Sara Languet, at the wheel, and her helpers survey loons in Great Pond’s Austin Bog.
by Dick Greenan
Welcome back to another Summertime in the Belgrades and our Call of the Loon! Like last year, we will be interspersing this column with weekly photo galleries of our iconic bird in action, which we hope you will enjoy as much as we have bringing them to you.
As you may or not know, our local Belgrade Lakes Association is into their seventh year of their Loon Preservation Project to develop a responsible comprehensive plan in order to support our loon population in the very best sustainable manner.
The results and particulars of our the Loon Projects’s sixth year are available on the BLA website. As we prepare ourselves for another season, the following are highlights from this past year’s Summary Report:
The 2024 overall productivity of 0.26 CS/TP (chick productivity per territorial pair) remains very low when compared to the established sustainable population threshold of 0.48 CS/TP. Looking at 2019 (0.35), 2020 (0.17), 2021 (0.35), 2022 (0.30), 2023 (0.26) productivity, no single year approaches 0.48 CS/TP. These consistently low productivity numbers over a six-year period are concerning.
For populations to thrive, long-term survival and mate fidelity are critical factors. Early findings raise concerns about loon fidelity in the study area. While return/survival rates are strong, mate fidelity is low. Only two of seven pairs banded in 2023 remained together in 2024 (29%) despite all the adults returning. Overall, only five of 14 pairs since 2020 have remained together (36%). Four years of (banded) data collection is a beginning and integral to the study.
A Long Pond female sits on her secretive nest on a small island.Three of the six man-made floating rafts were used for nesting (50%), and two of the three nests were successful (67%). Comparatively, there were a total of 15 natural nest attempts on the two lakes, and six nests were successful (40%). Rafts can be an excellent option where natural nests consistently fail due to predation.
Thirty of the 36 banded adult loons returned (83%) to their territory.
Nesting was confirmed for the first time in Great Pond’s Otter Island territory. The male resident was originally banded in Snake Point Cove back in 2008. The nesting pair hatched and fledged one chick.
Last year we had just one chick from all of Long Pond and four chicks from Great Pond that we assumed made the Great Fly-off this past fall.
Progress recruiting new citizen volunteers in the community has been slow, however. Our Colby Internship program is a start but does not assure the necessary sustainability. Further study and evaluation of population trends is warranted to help better understand the low productivity and determine if there are additional conservation measures which could be implemented to enhance loon chick productivity.
Look closely to see Long Pond’s Lynch Cove female on her floating nest with a Great Blue Heron in the foreground getting in on the loon cam!
Loon volunteer assistants are desperately needed. If you love loons, here is the opportunity of a lifetime! Get to know your loons personally while making a difference! Many hands make light work so the more the merrier!
Here’s to 2025 and the continuing efforts of our stewardship!
If you have particular questions regarding our Belgrade loon population, please email your inquiry to info@blamaine.org, and we will try to answer your question either in this column or via email. Have a great summer enjoying the Call of the Loon!
Dick Greenan is chairman of the Belgrade Lakes Association’s Loon Preservation Project.
