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Loon
Research Project
By Ariela Zamcheck
Photos by Jessica Angel
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Last Summer I participated in the Loon Research Project as part of the Vermont Audobon Youth Camp “Take P.A.R.T.” programs. Loons, aquatic birds which are not related to ducks, are endangered in several New England States (along the north-east coast of the US). Several factors are responsible for the loon’s decline: Increasing lake acidity in New England kills the fish that make up most of the loons’ diet, and forces them to feed their young less healthy foods such as insect larvae. Loons typically have two chicks per year, and the chance of both chicks surviving is threatened. Development around lakes also threaten loons. Unable to walk on land, loons build their nests on islands and rocks where they can have immediate access to the water. |
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Adult
Loon| Motor boats produce wakes that flood loon nests and kill the young. Docks disrupt the shoreline, making it hard for loons to find room to nest. Lead poisoning from lead sinkers is also a major problem. Thinking the shiny sinker is food, loons will eat the sinkers. Lead poisoning severely affects motor skills, making it very difficult to hunt. Many loons die due to lead poisoning. Finally, mercury poisoning is a major danger. Mercury is dispersed by smoke from industrial plants. Lake bacteria form the mercury into toxic methyl-mercury, which is passed up the food chain to the loons. Loons affected by mercury poisoning lose coordination and can starve. They are also easy targets to predators. |
| My team observed loons in lakes all across Vermont. We mapped the shorelines of lakes to determine the best nesting spot. On a developed lake, nesting rafts can help to protect loon nests from the dangers of motor boats, because the raft will float over the boats’ wakes. We built several rafts, first cutting wood and binding it together, then attaching a mesh cover and covering it with sod and finally vegetating it so that it is virtually indistinguishable from a small island, except that it floats. Rafts had proven successful in previous years, and loons often return to the same nesting place year after year. We were able to observe loon nests on rafts that had been built previously. |
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The most exciting part of the research project was night captures. To accurately access the problems the loons are facing, data must be taken on mercury and lead content in the loons’ blood, the loons’ genetics and overall health. We went out in boats in the middle of the night and shined a bright light around the lake to find the loons. Trying not to shine the light on us or on the boat, we kept the light on the loon and played recordings of loon calls. The loons usually started responding, and would swim up to the boat, looking for the other loon who was making the calls. Once the loon was close enough, one person on the boat would try to catch the loon in a big net. If the loon was captured, there was a big scramble on the boat, as we all tried to keep the loon under control, get it out of the net safely and onto someone’s lap securely, and with a towel over its head. If it could see us, it would snap at us. |
 Nest bowl on raft |
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After
we got back to land, other people were ready to weigh the loon and
measure its beak length and wingspan. Another person took a few
samples of feathers, and someone else took a small sample of blood,
for toxin and DNA testing. After this was done, we turned off all
lights, stopped talking and let the loon go free. This is a crucial
moment, because if the loon was to get lost after being freed, it
could lose its family and be in danger. |
Observing loons on the lake
The project was an incredible experience. I was able to work hands-on to help solve an environmental problem, and hopefully make some difference in the world. Other members of my team felt similarly about the project. Silvia Cassono from Bennington, Vermont, said “I had only heard the loon in past camping trips, but being up close, touching one, and far away observing them, provided me with a better knowledge of the wildlife biology field. Now I have an idea of what my future might be like. Amanda Daly from Moretown, Vermont: “Being able to research loons was one of the most amazing things I've ever been able to do . They're incredible creatures; so graceful while they're out on the lake, but awkward and ungainly when you have them trapped on land. And of course, as an indicator of the ecological state of lakes, it is even more vital to understand them to the fullest.”
Ariela
Zamcheck
Stuyvesant HS
NYC, NY USA