Loon Chick Still Here!

[ITD]

They have no way to catch them if they are healthy.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

We think they are finally gone.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Greene's Basin Girl

We think they are finally gone.

Fingers crossed!!!!!!!

[LongBay]

I just heard a loon call on Paugus Bay. It sounded like it was coming from the Lakeshore Drive side of the Bay. I hope the loon will be ok.

[LongBay]

I took out my binoculars and noticed the loon out in the middle of the bay swimming in a small water hole. I just called the loon preservation to see if it could be helped.

[LongBay]

Originally Posted by LongBay

I took out my binoculars and noticed the loon out in the middle of the bay swimming in a small water hole. I just called the loon preservation to see if it could be helped.

Thank you Loon Preservation Committee for coming out on Saturday and again today to rescue the stranded loon out on Paugus Bay. They were able to capture the loon and run some blood tests. Unfortunately, the loon has lead poisoning and is now being treated over in Freedom, Maine at the Avian Haven Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center. A number of rescues have been performed this winter and some of their success stories can be found on their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...1575179188699/

[Cindido]

Received from the Loon Preservation Committee:


Greetings!

January 2016 might go down in the books as the busiest month for live loon winter rescues in LPC's 40-year history. All told, LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley rescued 7 loons trapped in the ice--one on Broad Bay in Freedom, one on Highland Lake in Stoddard, and five on Lake Sunapee near Newbury, NH.

The trend continued into February with one more iced-in loon rescued from Paugus Bay on February 1. Along with two crash landing cases that came in to New Hampshire rehabilitators in January, we've already seen 10 rescues in 2016.

The successful capture on Paugus Bay was overshadowed by the fact that this was another lead-poisoned loon. Wildlife rehabilitators at Avian Haven used chelation therapy to absorb the lead from its bloodstream. A week after its rescue, the blood lead level was down to 2.5 ug/dl and the loon was diving well, preening, eating, and its overall fitness appeared to be strong, so it was released on February 9 in Penobscot Bay where two other loons were visible from shore!

[LongBay]

My wife and I were very saddened to hear from John Cooley the loon rescued by him on Paugus Bay had traces of lead. We understood this was not good news. What we did not know at the time, until we did research and talked to some of the folks at the Loon Preservation Society and Avian Haven, was the largest known cause of New Hampshire adult loon mortality is ingestion of fishing tackle made of the toxic metal lead.

The Loon Preservation Committee has published a lot content on loons and lead and can be found at:
http://www.loon.org/loon-lead-overview.php

Again, our thanks go out to the Loon Preservation Committee and Avain Haven for rescuing, treating and releasing this loon. We are wishing one of the Sunapee loons, also poisoned by lead, will soon be released.

The wonderfull work of Avain Haven can be read at:
http://www.avianhaven.org/
https://www.facebook.com/Avian-Haven-381894018553252/

And the Loon Preservation Society at:
https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...1575179188699/

[Resident 2B]

Thank you, Long Bay, for being a major factor in saving this loon!

R2B

[LongBay]

Another iced-in loon was rescued the other day on the lake. Hopefully, this loon will also be released shortly as well.

https://www.facebook.com/Loon-Preser...188699/?ref=nf

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by ITD

They have no way to catch them if they are healthy.

In fact, loons are not all that hard to "capture". I went to a lecture at the Loon center and they explained the way they capture them for banding. They go out at night well after dark, in a boat. They shine a flashlight and , for some reason the loon will swim towards the light and are captured, banded and released.

Some loons are captured over and over again and end up wit a series on bands. The banding program is covered here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSfm9QZMkKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSWsrvQFQkA

Dozen of video's Just "google" Common Loon Night Banding

Interesting Loon fact..

•Loons are more closely related to penguins than to any North American waterfowl.

https://americanexpedition.us/common-loon-facts

[ITD]

Originally Posted by SteveA

I fact, loons are not all that hard to "capture". I went to a lecture at the Loon center and they explained the way they capture them for banding. They go out at night well after dark, in a boat. They shine a flashlight and , for some reason the loon will swim towards the light and are captured, banded and released.

Some loons are captured over and over again and end up wit a series on bands. The banding program is covered here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSfm9QZMkKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSWsrvQFQkA

Dozen of video's Just "google" Common Loon Night Banding

Interesting Loon fact..

•Loons are more closely related to penguins than to any North American waterfowl.

https://americanexpedition.us/common-loon-facts

Hmm, thanks I didn't know that. There was one a few summers ago with some fishing tackle around it's bill. I called about it and they said they knew about it, that it wasn't eating and they had lost track of it a few weeks before. They asked if it was still diving and I told them yes, they said they couldn't catch it until it was too sick to dive, so I thought they couldn't catch them. Anyone they called me back a few weeks later to tell me they had caught it and it was doing fine.

[noreast]

Really know need to worry about a Loon in winter. If we actually get ice, The bird could be at the ocean in a few hours. They don't go to San Diego for the winter.