Field Update: New nests, flooded nests, and healthy competition
It’s July, and loon nesting season is in full swing! Here’s an update from the lakes and ponds from VCE’s loon biologist, Eric Hanson.
Field Update: Loon Wins and Losses
Every year, some of our returning loons get themselves into “hot water,” so to speak. Eric Hanson, VCE’s loon biologist, gives us his mid-season good news/bad news update here.
Loon Chicks in November
By early November, the majority of adult Common Loons in Vermont have departed for the New England coast, where they will spend the winter. Based on satellite telemetry data from…
Do Non-Breeding, Single Loons Have Territories?
Last week, Chris Rimmer and I traveled to Lake Willoughby to meet with Carol Radic and Colm Darcy, who helped me rescue a loon entangled in fishing gear back in…
Notes from a Loon Necropsy
This story is not for the feint at heart, but I found Dr. Pokras’s quick note to me about this loon fascinating. I mailed this highly emaciated (and smelly) loon…
Laying the Groundwork for Loons in Fairlee and Fairfield
Back in July I presented a program on loons at the Lake Fairlee association annual meeting. We lined this up last year after a summer of consistent loon activity on…
And the late ice-out winner is….?
And the winner is … Little Averill Lake up on the Canadian border on May 6 or 7. Last week, I was checking in with volunteers in Averill, VT about…
First Loon Sighting – Lake Dunmore
The grips of winter eased up on Lake Dunmore with the ice breaking up on April 13. A resident of the lake called in the first loon sighting to L….
Loon Meets Owl in Eric Hanson’s House
On December 17, I awoke to -25 F here in Craftsbury, VT. The day before a juvenile Common Loon had crash-landed in a field at dusk in Cabot, VT. Lynn…
Loon Defending Itself from an Eagle
With the increase in Bald Eagle activity in Vermont, confrontations and flyovers are becoming a more common sight. There were at least two chicks taken by eagles this year in…
Help VCE Upgrade the Loon Nest-Warning Signs
Hearing the ghostly call of the loon coming through the evening mist is one of the quintessential experiences of being on Vermont’s lakes and ponds. A major reason we can…
Another Record Year for Loons in Vermont
We feel like a skipping record saying, “it’s another record year,” but it was yet again! Thank you volunteers and donors for making it happen. • There were 81 nest…
