Courtesy of Brian Reilly
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Loon Rescues

LPC staff members are not trained as animal rehabilitators, and it is LPC’s policy not to intervene in cases of sibling rivalry among loon chicks, territorial conflicts between loons, or other natural processes that affect loon survival. However, we do rescue loons that are in distress as a result of human activities. LPC works with a network of veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators to diagnose and attempt to treat and release ailing loons.

LPC staff members commonly rescue loons that have become entangled in fishing line, ingested lead fishing tackle, or crash landed on roads after mistaking wet pavement for water. In recent years, we have begun performing ice rescues, which occur when loons fail to migrate to the ocean on time and become stuck when ice rapidly forms around them on lakes.

If you see a loon in distress, please contact us at (603)476-5666 or submit your report using our Report a Loon in Distress Form.

Contact Us Report Loon in Distress
LPC staff members take a blood sample from a rescued loon.
A rescued loon is being released on the ocean after spending a few days at Avian Haven Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Freedom, Maine. 2016 was a record year for loon rescues. LPC staff and volunteers rescued three times as many loons as were rescued in previous years. Photo courtesy of Terry Heitz/Avian Haven.
A loon is being released on Lee's Pond by LPC Senior Biologist John Cooley. This was one of 5 loons that was rescued and released in 2015. We know from leg bands fitted during the 2015 rescue that this loon was actually rescued again in 2016, when it became tangled in fishing line on Lake Tarleton, NH. Not a lucky loon! Photo courtesy of Harry Vogel.
A loon is released on Lee's Pond by LPC Senior Biologist, John Cooley. This was one of 5 loons that was rescued and released in 2015. We know from leg bands fitted during the 2015 rescue that this loon was actually rescued again in 2016, when it became tangled in fishing line on Lake Tarleton, NH. Not a lucky loon! Photo courtesy of Harry Vogel.
LPC Staff Biologist, Caroline Hughes, cuts fishing line and removes it from the bill of a tangled loon. After a health examination, this loon was released back onto its lake. Photo courtesy of Kathy Stebbins.

Read a first-hand account of a rescue and release.

Loon Preservation Committee