Loons at Risk?

Information from Minesota Lakes Association Bulletin, August 2005

Drop in Loon Reproduction May Signal Greater Problems
Excerpted from Dan Gunderson’s article, Minnesota Public Radio

Every July volunteers across northern Minnesota count loons. The annual loon count started in 1994, and the information gathered over the past several years is raising some questions about the health of Minnesota loons. The data collected by nearly 1,000 volunteers across the state gives a good indication of loon population trends. It also gives the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources a database it could never maintain on its own. The loon population has generally been stable over the past decade. But there are some concerns about the health of loons.
Loons aren't producing as many young as expected in some parts of the state, according to DNR Nongame Specialist Katie Haws. "For example, in the northeast part of the state where a high percentage of the lakes had loons, the productivity wasn't as good as we were expecting. So we want to explore whether there is something going on that's causing those eggs not to hatch or if there's any kind of a health problem with the loon population," says Haws. The DNR plans to study the problem, and they're asking anyone who finds a dead loon this summer to call a local DNR conservation officer who will collect the dead bird. The dead loons will be examined for lead and mercury levels, says Katie Haws. Loons can die from eating lead fishing tackle abandoned in lakes. Air pollution also causes increased mercury levels in water and fish. Haws says better understanding the health of the loon population might also provide some important insights to the health of Minnesota lakes.