The loons have landed

Two loons, likely males, have a territorial dispute on Long Pond in Westmore. (Lorna Kane-Rholoff / Vermont Center for Ecostudies)

Returning loons are busy staking out their territory at lakes around Vermont, and volunteers with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies are busy observing them.
Barnard’s Silver Lake community got an Earth Day treat: a report that two loons have arrived on these local waters. Eric Hanson of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, or VCE, received the news Wednesday among his regular dispatches from field volunteers around the state.
“We still have yet to see a long-term pair there, but it’s probably just a matter of time,” he said of Silver Lake.
Hanson, who has been VCE’s loon biologist for 23 years, said the loons have been coming back to this region within the last week, spurred by an earlier spring thaw.
“If a sliver of water opens up on the edge of a lake, there’s a loon in it,” he said.
The main event now: trying to establish breeding sites. That includes some, let’s say, communication to later arrivals who attempt to swoop in on their territory. A “penguin dance” complete with outspread wings can result if one gets too close.
“You’ll see them setting up, letting others know that this section of the lake is taken,” Hanson said.
Many returnees are coming in from Cape Cod, a popular over-wintering spot for loons in the Northeast. Others spend the cold months in other New England coastal areas off Rhode Island, New Hampshire or Long Island Sound.
Any given spring, most of the big lakes in Vermont are occupied by loon pairs. However, that wasn’t always the case. In the mid-1990s, the state was down to 15 pairs nesting, as a result of increased boating activity near nesting sites, loss of habitat and water fluctuation near dams. Last year, Vermont had 101 nesting attempts - the first time that number topped 100.
“It’s been a major success story,” Hanson said.
The key has been preserving quiet places for loons to nest, whether or not the particular lake is crowded, he explained. These efforts entail nest-warning signs and lots of education, including asking boaters to go by nesting sites slowly.
“Now we’ve got a pretty well-educated boater community,” Hanson said.
The loon program has also built a robust, statewide volunteer network over the years, with individuals observing loon activity on certain lakes. Many help place nest-warning signs and assist with nesting rafts, which are man-made floating islands made to look like a possible nesting area. VCE usually uses those rafts on lakes with water fluctuation (Chittenden Reservoir) or habitat conflict with human activity (Lake Fairlee). Hanson said he is going to do an analysis of the different nesting rafts being used in North America, from Montana to Vermont and Maine. That might provide some new ideas to different groups using them.
“It’s a tool, and we’re trying to promote as much natural nesting as we can now,” Hanson said.
Spring is a time to observe and study wildlife, and on Tuesday, VCE got the green light to send out teams of two or less into the field, in accordance with the Gov. Phil Scott’s latest directive on work crews amid the health crisis. Many loon program volunteers observe the birds from their own properties, so those efforts aren’t impacted, Hanson said. Overall, VCE is recommending its teams stay in their local areas and use social distancing. Teams have gloves and face masks if they are needed, Hanson said.
During this time of isolation, VCE is offering ways people can still enjoy the natural world, even if just from the backyard. The Vermont Atlas of Life offers a place where citizen-scientists can discover and share biodiversity knowledge. The Backyard Bioblitz on iNaturalist is another option.
Every day gives us a chance to see nature with new appreciation. There is so much out there to enjoy, and we have so many options to do just that, even when we’re still anchored at home for now. However you choose to discover, stay local, stay safe and have fun. That’s what Earth Day should inspire.

— Gareth Henderson