Originally aired during the week of April 9, 2001
If you've been described as being a "little looney" I've got some good news: there is no shame in being compared to the noble bird called the common loon. Loons have been part of New England folklore since Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda starred in On Golden Pond. OK it goes much further back than that. There is something about the loon that deeply stirs the human soul. It may be its mournful call, which the Chippewa Indians called the "omen of death." It may have something to do with their devotion - a male and female pair can nest together summer after summer in the same pond or lake. Perhaps their fragility in the face of our encroachment into their nesting areas reminds us that human activity always has an impact on nature. Whatever it is, it's OK to be just a little looney.
As the ice begins to disappear from lakes and ponds, loons return from salt-water wintering grounds as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. They often return to the same nesting sites. The loon courtship includes dance (a loon-like water ballet), songs (duets), and bursts of wing flapping. I told you these were multi-talented birds didn't I? Not inclined to move about on land, loons build their nests at the water's edge or in hummocks in marshy areas. The female loon will usually lay two eggs about the size of goose eggs. The couple takes turns incubating them and after four weeks the chicks begin to hatch. In our area, this usually happens sometime in late June or early to mid-July. Most ponds can accommodate only one nesting pair at a time, so an unsuccessful nest has big consequences for the loon population.
Loons are made for life in the water. They have torpedo-like bodies which help them move gracefully underwater as they dive for prey. They have large, webbed feet that work like oars to propel them through the water. The loon's markings - dark on top and light on the bottom - make them less visible to fish. And their distinctive red eyes may help the birds see better underwater. Loons can stay submerged for a minute or longer as they hunt for fish, frogs, crayfish or insects, and its long, pointed beak is a great tool grabbing prey. Loons are known for their vocal expression. Along with its soulful wail, the loon can make noises that sound a bit like human laughter. The bird makes this "tremulo" sound when its chicks are threatened, or when its territory is challenged by another loon. Oh yes, loons can also yodel. It's a slow, rising note followed by trilling.
Loons need plenty of elbow room. They are big waterfowl measuring about three feet long and weighting six to ten pounds. (To get a sense of the size of these animals, you can see a mounted specimen of a loon at Montshire Museum). So one pair of adults needs a lot of fish to survive for a summer. Their webbed feet are great for paddling on or under the water. But because the loon's legs are positioned so far back on its body, it can't take off directly from the ground. To become airborne, a loon needs a long, watery runway. It gets a running start on the surface, sometimes splashing along for a quarter of a mile before gaining enough speed to take flight. For all these reasons, loons need fairly large ponds or lakes to live and breed. According to Neal Clark in his book
Birds on the Move, a 100-acre pond is barely enough to support one pair of loons.
Ancestors of the loons have been around for tens of millions of years, so they've proven to be very resilient animals. Compared to them, we humans are new kids on the block! But loons need a lot of territory to survive, and each nesting pair produces only two chicks per year. So pollutants and human activity are especially hard on these birds. According to Steve Parren at the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, by 1983 there were only 8 mating pairs in the state. Only recently have loons made a comeback. Thanks in part to conservation efforts there were 38 successful pairs last year. Still, autopsies of 23 dead loons over the past decade reveal that 11 of birds died of lead poisoning, probably from lead sinkers used by fisherman. Acid rain has wiped out fish populations in some ponds where the animals used to breed.
