Loons Nesting On Loon Preservation Committee’s Live Loon
Cam
An image captured from the live webcam shows an adult
sitting on a nest on a lake in the Lakes Region of New
Hampshire. The live loon cam can be viewed at
www.loon.org
or on the Loon Preservation Committee’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LoonCenter)
The
Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) is streaming live footage of a
pair of nesting loons on a lake in the Lakes Region of New
Hampshire at www.loon.org.
This is the fifth year the Loon Preservation Committee has
shared the live feed with the public, and the loon webcam became
a world-wide phenomenon last year with viewers from all 50
states and over 200 countries. It also made it into the
top five ranking of pet/animal webcams on YouTube. The
high definition video captured the first egg on May 25 and two
eggs were seen on May 28. Loon Preservation Committee
biologists expect to see chicks between June 20-22 if all
goes well.
Nesting loons in New Hampshire face many challenges, including
black flies, predators, flooded nests, and intruding loons.
This loon pair is among the first loons in the state to initiate
a nest; the peak of loon nest initiation usually occurs around
the first week of June in New Hampshire, followed by a four week
incubation period. LPC biologists banded both Loon Cam
adults with unique combinations of color bands and have
confirmed that it is the same pair of loons as last year.
In 2017, this pair hatched one chick that successfully fledged
from the lake in the fall. The Loon Preservation Committee
is hoping for another successful hatch in 2018. To see the
live loon cam please visit www.loon.org or LPC’s YouTube channel-
https://www.youtube.com/user/LoonCenter.
Loon Preservation Committee biologists recorded 202 pairs of
nesting loons on New Hampshire lakes in 2017, a decrease of six
loon pairs from the previous year. This decrease was most
likely due in part to the fourth wettest spring in the past 100
years which left many traditional sites underwater at the onset
of nesting. Over 40% of nesting loon pairs were protected
by signs and ropelines placed around nests by Loon Preservation
Committee biologists and volunteers. However, even with
this level of management, LPC biologists recorded 107 nest
failures last year, many due to human disturbance at the nest.
Loons face growing challenges and the impacts of climate change
and other threats are increasingly being felt by New Hampshire’s
small loon population.
LPC
biologists ask that boaters stay back at least 150 feet from a
nesting loon, or more if the loon shows any signs of distress
such as craning its neck low over a nest. Loons may even
appear to be injured or dead while in this head-down position,
but it is simply a response to the close approach of people.
If boaters inadvertently cause a loon to flush from the nest,
they should leave the area immediately to let the loon return to
incubate its eggs. Time off the nest leaves the eggs
vulnerable to cooling, overheating, or predation. These
precautions can help ensure a good season for loons in New
Hampshire.
Loons are a threatened species in New Hampshire and are
protected by state and federal laws from hunting or harassment.
If you see a sick or injured loon, please call the Loon
Preservation Committee (603-476-5666) or if you observe
harassment of loons, please contact the New Hampshire Fish and
Game Department (603-271-3361) or Marine Patrol (603-293-2037)
for assistance.
The
Loon Preservation Committee monitors loons throughout the state
as part of its mission to restore and maintain a healthy
population of loons in New Hampshire; to monitor the health and
productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental
quality; and to promote a greater understanding of loons and the
natural world.
To
learn more about loons in New Hampshire, please visit the Loon
Preservation Committee on the web at
www.loon.org or call the Loon
Preservation Committee at (603) 476-LOON (5666).