VCE Loon Biologist Eric Hanson stands on the other side of an ice hole in Berlin Pond, preparing to rescue a stranded loon chick with a net.
Loons that nest on inland lakes in Vermont usually depart in the fall for their coastal wintering grounds. However, in recent years, some loons have failed to migrate early enough and get trapped by the ice when these lakes freeze. Because they require a long stretch of open water for takeoff, freezing conditions can trap loons, often with fatal consequences.
In December, a loon chick was spotted in the open water of Berlin Pond, surrounded by ice. It had likely failed to migrate earlier due to an abundance of food on the 200-acre pond, and now it was trapped.
Phil Gentile, a VCE loon volunteer, could hear the loon calling from his house. The Berlin Pond loon pair had not successfully nested in several years. Phil had watched this chick from its earliest days, tracking its growth all summer. From a population perspective, Vermont’s loon numbers are thriving. Losing a few birds to harsh conditions may not seem significant, but it is to many local residents who enjoy seeing these birds all summer. When I asked Phil how long he’d been monitoring this loon, his reply was since it hatched in June, reflecting the deep connection people form with these birds.
Eric Hanson and Eloise Girard drape a 125-foot gill net across the open hole in the ice to capture the loon chick.
For this loon, the rescue mattered. It mattered to the dozens—perhaps hundreds of people who bird, paddle, and cherish the wildlife at Berlin Pond. Over the past 25 years, we’ve averaged about three loon rescues annually, both in summer and winter. With Vermont’s loon population now at 300–400 birds, these rescues represent a second chance for roughly 1% of the population.
We cannot save every loon, but sometimes, circumstances align. This time, the ice was safe, and predators like eagles had not yet discovered the stranded bird. When Phil gave us a call on December 26 and told us the loon chick was still alive, I ventured out to Berlin Pond with my colleague Eloise Girard, a seasonal biologist with the Vermont Loon Project for the past four years.
Eloise Girard holds the rescued loon
For Eloise, this was her first ice rescue. Using a 125-foot gill net to capture the loon from the icy water was a new experience for all of us. After successfully netting the chick, we put the bird in a travel box and drove to the ECHO Center in Burlington, where we released the bird onto Lake Champlain, a lake with plenty of open water.
While every loon rescue teaches us something, this one stands out—not just for its success, but for the reminder of how much these birds mean to people.
Read the full story of rescuing the Berlin Pond chick on The Montpelier Bridge.
