A Successful Rescue, A Happy Ending
All of us have heard stories of attempted rescues of wild animals. Most of these do not have a happy ending. This one, I’m happy to say, does. On June 20, we received a call from neighbor Chris with a report of a loon in distress. Apparently, the female of the pair had decided it was time for the male to vacate the nest, as clearly it was her turn to sit on the eggs. The breeding pair typically take three-hour shifts during the day with the female solely on night duty.
Many floating nests like the one in Lynch Cove have a camouflage covering which protects against sun, eagles, and inquisitive humans. It is not sufficient to the task of keeping a loon from poking holes for handy entrance and exits. This female had already chewed loon-sized holes in both sides. On this day she had decided to chew another, larger hole in the back of the nest. Unfortunately, she got caught up in the netting that was meant to protect the nest from the myriads of predators.
With the help of our neighbor Chris, we were able to free the loon, but discovered she still had some nylon thread wrapped around her beak and wing. She was not having any of our clumsy attempts to free her of those strings.
Fast forward a couple of days. Armed with our Colby interns, Alie, Katie and Julia, a very resourceful kayaker from Belgrade Lakes Village, we were able to gently corner her in the weeds of the emergency spillway by the Village dam. It took all hands to hold her still so that we could free her. This was done in just a couple of minutes. She exploded towards the lake, splashing and preening, stretching and without a single backwards glance, dove for her breakfast.
This example of community coming together for the sake of our precious wildlife is precisely why we live here in Belgrade Lakes. The loons are here because we care enough to work to ensure our lakes are clean and healthy. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes community to care about the miracle of wildlife we are surrounded by.
The loon project is a long term study of our loons, how they live and die, how they survive and succeed in raising their young…. The Belgrade Lakes Association has been sponsoring the Loon Preservation Project for eight years. Every year gives us more vital information about not only the loons, but the health and ability of our lakes to support wildlife. If our loons disappear, how long will it be before our lakes die. Remember, healthy loons are a mark of a healthy lake.
A huge thanks to our volunteers, our Colby College interns, and Lee Attix. A huge Thanks for the many folks who, in their own way, care enough to work to keep our lakes clear and clean.
From a Friend of the Loons
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