Dear LoonCount and LoonMonitor volunteers, welcome to the 2025 Loon Season!
This summer, we are excited to introduce LoonWeb, a simple online platform where you can sign up to count and monitor loons on your lake(s), enter your loon observations while you’re out on the lake or at home, plus explore data on how loons are doing in the state of Vermont. Because this summer is still a “testing” year, LoonWeb will be optional. But we hope you will join us on this new platform, so you can get loon updates faster, allow us to spend more time in the field with the loons, and support everyone in conserving Vermonts’ loons.
We’ll be sending out step-by-step information about how to use the LoonWeb Sign-up and Data Explorer by early June. We’re super excited to have created a platform that is as user-friendly as possible.You won’t have to create and remember a username and password — all you need is your email
Before LoonCount day on July 19, we will introduce a data entry platform for mobile phones and computers. This platform for both LoonCount and LoonMonitor volunteers will only collect information about the number of loons you see. In 2026, we’ll add the option of entering information about nest status details, loon interactions, animal interactions (especially eagles), and mortality/loons in distress.
For now, keep those emails coming to report your sightings or use ebird.
Here’s what you will find here:
1) Monitoring guidelines and reporting in your surveys
2) Details about Focused Loon Surveys – checking lakes and ponds all over the place
3) Information about receiving our print publications Loon Caller and Field Notes
4) For those that help with the annual count, LoonCount (formerly Loonwatch) Day is July 19.
5) Other announcements
Monitoring guidelines and reporting in your surveys
We’re hoping you can monitor loons again this summer, whether it’s just a day here and there, or throughout the entire summer season.
For those watching a specific pair, please try to have your first survey done by May 25-30 and then report via email to . Hopefully by midsummer, you’ll be able to report via the online data platform.
For breeding lakes, please send in updates every 2–4 weeks and immediately after the detection of:
1) nesting: When you go from seeing two adults to one adult, it’s time to look at likely nest sites.
2) possible failed nests
3) re-nests
4) chicks hatching, or
5) official final chick survey in the last two weeks of August (if chicks are present).
How often you check your lake is up to you (e.g., once a month, twice a month, part of the summer only). Please let us know how often you’ll be checking, so we know if we should also survey the lake to compliment your surveys. If nothing changes in a month, send a note so we know the lake/pair is being watched (For example: “5/25: 3 adults and no nesting; 6/10: 2 adults, loon nest building at 2024 island nest site”). If we don’t hear from you, we’ll likely make a visit ourselves or pester you with an email.
Try to conduct more frequent surveys in late May and June, so we can more accurately determine nest start dates and detect new pair formation. Other good times to report include a late July/early August update and a chick survival update at the end of August.
Volunteer Hours: The other big change for 2025
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife wants volunteers to enter their hours and mileage using an online form, which we prefer. It’s pretty easy — even I did it successfully. But you can still fill out paper copies and scan/mail them to us. It is important that you log your hours and mileage so we can match the grants that we receive from VFWD.
EACH DAY OF OBSERVATION NEEDS TO BE LISTED SEPARATELY whether done online or on paper copy. Each person enters his/her own report.
- Online volunteer hours – Our preferred method. See attached pdf for instructions to enter your volunteers hours and mileage online. If adding multiple dates at one time, use the “+” button at the top of the volunteer details page before hitting the submit button.
- Paper forms: Please print TWO copies or ask us to mail you two. You will need to submit one form through June 30 and a second form for hours after July 1. Please scan and email or MAIL the signed form back by July 15 and August 30, even if you will still be monitoring chicks later. One form per person.
Volunteer hours form pdf (important for our state grant)
Focused Loon Surveys (LoonMonitor)
There are always several times in the summer when we’ve not had time to visit a specific pond or we’ve not heard from a volunteer to answer certain questions (has pair nested, was the nest successful, did chicks make to the end of August). This will be a great place to use the LoonWeb Sign-up and Data Explorer! You can take a day trip to visit a new lake or add a survey on a vacation trip. For now, take a look at the instruction pdf and the lake list, and start exploring!
Focused loon surveys instructions and lake list
Annual Reports, past Loon Callers, and recent blogs on loons
You can find the 2024 field season one page summary here, and the latest Loon Caller from 2024 here. Some recent blogs include loons and avian influenza, Berlin Pond Ice Rescue, 2024 Loon Summary, and Lead Poisoning Loon Rescue.
Active volunteers and donors should receive Loon Caller, VCE Field Notes, and monthly VCE eNews. If you’re not receiving these and should be, please let us know and send us your mailing address. Also, if you have helpers who we don’t have listed as volunteers, please have them contact us with their email and mailing address. Please forward this to anyone who might also like to help with surveys.
Save the date! LoonCount Day is July 19
It’s the annual statewide one-day survey formerly called Loonwatch Day. New this year: you will have the option to find and adopt lakes for LoonCount in the LoonWeb Sign-up and Data Explorer. Look out for an email soon on how to sign up for LoonWeb and sign up for your lakes. We will also send out a regular lake list for those who do not want to use the LoonWeb platform. Not all Adopt-a-Lake volunteers (LoonMonitor) are assigned for the LoonCount day.
Fish Lead Free Project.
After a decade of lower mortality rates, we’ve had an uptick of loons dying from lead in the past six years. In 2007, Vermont passed a law banning the use and sale of half-ounce lead sinkers, which did seem to lower lead-caused mortality. But we continue to find both small (illegal) and large lead sinkers in loons, along with lead jigs. This past summer we launched efforts in collaboration with Lake Associations to collect lead fishing tackle and discarded monofilament (fishing line) by installing collection tubes at about 30 boat access across the state. We are continuing this project this year and will install more collection tubes. Even if your boat access does not have a tube, you can still play an important role by distributing information to your lake community via email and websites on where to drop off lead tackle. Read about loons and lead tackles here and contact Eloise at with questions and for more information.
Loon observation Guidelines and Etiquette
Observing loon pairs, chicks, and nests can often lead to close encounters with loons and potential disturbance. As official loon observers, it is our job to lead by example. We only check nests from a distance. Only after several visits with no loons on the nest or nearby do we check the nest site to see if the eggs are gone or abandoned, and even then we need to be super cautious. We will send out more guidelines about nest observations later this summer.
The NH Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) website provides some good background information about loon behaviors.
Loon Merch
You can place orders for a variety of colors through VCE’s Bonfire website. Your purchase supports VCE and loon conservation. A few notes about ordering:
- Printing is done in sporadic batches — please be patient, as we know loon watchers are!
- Women’s slim-fit tees tend to run really small, if you’re normally a small, order a large.
- Unisex Tees run true to size.
Have a fun season on the water, and thank you for making this program such a success. We could not do it without you!
Major funding of the VLP comes from individual donations.
Donations to support loon conservation in Vermont can be sent to:
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
VCE, PO Box 420, Norwich, VT 05055
This project is funded in part by the VFWD Nongame Wildlife Program. Other major funders include a grant from the USFWS to replace loons lost from the Bouchard B-120 oil spill and support from Hydro Quebec to support work in southern Vermont and on Somerset Reservoir.
