Good news—the chicks of the Squam Lakes continue to do well! There have been several cases of other loons intruding on a couple of the families recently, but the parents have been able to battle them off—I hope that continues! The chicks are growing fast and range in age from 5-7.5 weeks right now, with several of the older chicks losing their down and getting their regular feathers. So, our totals for the week remain at 1 chick on Little Squam and 4 chicks on Squam Lake.
If you’ve been wanting to get on a loon cruise this summer, there are just a few more weeks to join us! Loon cruises are offered through a partnership between the Loon Preservation Committee and our friends at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. They run each Monday and Friday afternoon at 3:00 through the end of August and give people a chance to see loons and learn about them. For more information, please visit https://www.nhnature.org/programs/loon_cruise.php.
Please join us for a volunteer potluck at the Loon Center on Thursday, August 22nd, at 6 PM! This is our chance to say “Thank You!” to all our wonderful volunteers, so we’d love to have you join us! This will be followed by the end-of-season report by Loon Preservation Committee’s Senior Biologist, Harry Vogel, at 7:00—our first chance to hear how the summer went for loons in New Hampshire! Even if you can’t make the potluck, please come for Harry’s talk. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Hope to see you on the 22nd!
We will continue our “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?” series with a look at why you might be seeing groups of 4-14 loons out and about at this time of the year. What is going on with these loon gatherings? Please see the P.S. below to find out! As always, please contact me with any questions, concerns, or reports, and please report any sick, injured, or dead loons to the Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666.
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
P.S. “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?”—Social gatherings: We’re all used to the idea that loons are solitary birds and don’t like other loons, right? We see them in their pairs and we know they defend their territory against other loons. Later in the fall, we might see them grouping up before migration, but the received wisdom is that loons wouldn’t be in groups other than for migration. It turns out that this is\ true only to a point—because those groups of loons that you see from mid-July through August are, in fact, social gatherings, loons just hanging out. Who would have thought?!?
The received wisdom about loons as “anti-social” birds is only true in so far as it goes. Loons, of course, are territorial birds; and as long as the potential for nesting and raising young exists, loons don’t want other loons in their territories. But once that potential is over with—whether the pair didn’t nest, lost their nest and have decided against nesting again, or lost their chicks—loons will start socializing with other loons. These are loons with no responsibilities whatsoever and have nothing better to do than socialize!
Social gatherings comprise anything from 4-14+ loons and include both males and females. They will come in from across Squam as well as surrounding lakes and spend time together for several hours before returning to their “home” territories. A number of years ago, I saw the banded female from Red Hill Pond on Squam in a social gathering. A few weeks ago, I saw a gathering of 9 loons that included both members of the Kimball Island pair, the Moultonborough Bay female, the ex-Mink Island female, and 5 unbanded loons. Loons will gather in a “neutral zone” of the lake (i.e., an area of the lake that is not part of a loon territory), or a portion of the lake that is in a loon territory but the pair is no longer actively defending it because the breeding potential for the year is over. As the loons are meeting up, they will do a lot of hooting to each other, their single note call that is essentially loon chatter (see last week’s edition of “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?” to learn more about the hoot and other calls). The initial meeting among loons can include a healthy degree of distrust, especially among loons who don’t know each other very well. You may see some circling, diving, and peering in the water, as the loons size each other up and figure out whether they are going to get along or not. Sometimes social gatherings do end in a scuffle, but usually the loons settle in and decide to get along with each other. Once they’ve met up, social gatherings include a lot of swimming along, hooting to each other.
But it is not necessarily all completely innocent socializing. There is some evidence that loons are scoping out potential future territories for them to takeover while in these groupings, and perhaps seeking strength in numbers to test the defenses of existing pairs. After all, the loons in these gatherings are the “losers” of the loon world—they weren’t successful this year and don’t have chicks to care for. They may be looking for a better territory—and a chick is the ultimate sign of a better territory. Last year, the Kimball Island pair had two chicks. In early August, a group of 9 loons started putting pressure on the pair, intruding into their territory, and finally one of their chicks was killed during a coordinated attack by these 9 loons. This was a calculated assault to try to weaken the pair in the hopes that one or two of the group could take over the territory. Over the next several weeks, the pair and their remaining chick endured near-constant intrusions, and I was terrified the remaining chick would be killed. Fortunately, the parents hung on and the chick survived. But loons have long memories; and, as the Kimball pair settled into nesting this year, they soon drew the attention of intruders as well, who likely remembered that they had two chicks last year. The near constant intrusions while they were trying to incubate finally forced the Kimball pair to abandon their nest. It wasn’t long after their nest failure that the Kimball pair turned up in a social group too.
But most social gatherings are simply that—a social gathering! It is an extraordinary sight to see so many loons together and always fascinating to watch their interactions and behaviors. So as you’re boating around the lake, keep your eyes open for groups of loons—you never know where the party might be!
To be added to the weekly Squam mailing list send an email to squam@loon.org.
The good news for the past week is that all of the chicks on the Squam Lakes are still doing well! There are 4 chicks on Squam Lake and one chick on Little Squam—they are being busily fed minnows and crayfish by their hard-working parents and are growing fast. As they get older, the families are starting to move around more widely within their territories, so please keep ask your lake neighbors to be alert for loons and boat carefully in areas of the lake marked with Loon Preservation Committee’s (LPC) orange “Caution: Loon Chicks” signs. The unhappy news for the week is that the final nest on Squam Lake has failed. The nest went beyond its expected hatch date and the adults gave up on it yesterday. Working under LPC’s state and federal permits, I collected the single egg on the nest for LPC’s research, and it will be a candidate for contaminant testing as part of our Squam Lake Loon Initiative. It is disappointing—I was hoping for another chick or two on the lake yet! But please spread the word to lake users to boat carefully in areas marked with the chick signs and to keep a respectful distance (at least 150’) from loons and loon families—let’s all work together to give the chicks the best chance for survival! Thank you for your help!
I received a report last week that there may be a loon with a fishing lure or fishing line attached to it in the area of Owl’s Head. Please let me know if you see this loon. So far, the loons I have seen in this area of the lake have been fine, but I am continuing to watch carefully. Thanks to the people who reported this possible problem—it’s very much appreciated!
Just a reminder to spread the word about LPC’s lead tackle buyback program (download flyer) and to ask lake users, neighbors, and renters to use only non-lead, loon safe tackle. Lead fishing jigs and sinkers weighing 1 oz or less are banned for sale and use in New Hampshire, so it’s both the law and the right thing to do to protect loons and other wildlife. The good news is that LPC’s data suggests that the majority of loons that die from lead tackle ingestion acquire it from current fishing activity (ingesting a fish that has broken a line and has tackle attached to it or striking at a bait or fish being retrieved by an angler). It used to be thought that loons ingest lost tackle from the lake bottom as grit, but LPC’s data suggests that this seems to be only a relatively minor way that loons ingest lead tackle. This is an encouraging finding—if people stop using lead tackle, we should see an immediate benefit to our loon population with fewer lead deaths! So far this summer, 6 loons have already been documented statewide that have died from lead tackle ingestion. Unfortunately, these likely won’t be the last this year. Squam Boat Livery is participating in the lead tackle buyback program and lead tackle can be turned in there in exchange for a $10 coupon, Lead tackle can also be turned in at the Loon Center, Squam Lakes Association, and NH Fish and Game offices. Also, please remind people to reel their line in if loons are in the area where they are fishing and to wait for the loons to move on—loons’ natural instinct is to strike at something that flashes past them, thinking it’s a fish. Unfortunately, it could be a bait being reeled in, resulting in that loon being hooked. So please encourage people to fish in a way that is loon safe—lead free and reel in around loons!
Mark your calendars now for August 22nd—that is when we will have the preliminary data pulled together on how the 2019 season was for New Hampshire’s loons! LPC’s Senior Biologist, Harry Vogel, will be giving the end-of-season report at the Loon Center at 7:00. Please join us to get the first word on the 2019 loon season!
We wrapped up the “Meet the Loons of Squam” series with the last of our banded singles on the lake. “Meet the Loons of Squam” will return next year when we will revisit the territories and see what changes have occurred in our pairs. For the rest of this summer, please see the P.S. below for “What are those crazy loons doing?!?”—a look at loon behavior and what it all means! This week, we’ll take a look (and a listen!) to those iconic calls—what are the loons saying? Please see the P.S. below to find out! As always, please feel free to contact me with any reports, questions, or concerns, and please contact the Loon Preservation Committee to report any sick, injured, or dead loons (603-476-5666).
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
P.S. “What are those crazy loons doing?!?”: The Calls—As anyone who has spent any time on New Hampshire’s lakes knows, loons have a lot to say for themselves The calls of the loons are just as iconic as the beautiful black and white plumage of the birds themselves. It’s hard to imagine the Squam Lakes without those haunting calls echoing off the mountains. But just what are the loons saying? Loons have an extraordinary communication system and convey a lot through their calls. Let’s take a quick look (and listen!) at the loons’ 4 main calls and what they mean. You can click on the following link to listen to the calls: https://www.loon.org/voice-loon.php.
1) Tremolo: Many people have a misconception about the tremolo, which is often called “the loon’s laughter.” Unfortunately, the loon is not laughing at all. This is the loon’s main distress call, given in situations when a loon is very upset, such as when an eagle is flying over or a boat is much too close. If loons give this call when you are in the vicinity, please back away from them. This is also the strongest call a female loon can give, and a female loon will use it during fights with other loons. You will sometimes hear a “tremolo duet,” in which both members of a pair tremolo to express their upset over whatever is happening. At night, especially in early spring, a pair may tremolo duet to announce that they are on territory, and this also serves as a pair-bonding ritual. This call is the only call a loon gives when flying. In this case, it is a little higher-pitched than the on-the-water version and is simply a contact call.
2) Wail: The wail is the main contact call for loons, given to reconnect with a mate that may be at the other end of the territory or to call chicks over to a parent. The wail basically means, “Where are you? I’m here, come here.” It is frequently heard at night as loons make contact with their mates and communicate with neighboring loons. The wail can also be a low-level distress call—if a loon is feeling a little nervous but it hasn’t risen to “tremolo-level” distress, they will use the wail. Again, if a loon gives a wail when you are nearby in a boat, please back away.
3) Yodel: This call is given only by male loons and is used as a territorial defense call. Individual male loons have their own version of the yodel, and they are distinct enough that even human listeners can identify individual males by their yodel. With their yodels, males let other male loons know they are on territory—and that other male loons should stay away! It is also given in fights between male loons, and research has shown that male loons can tell how strong another male is by listening to their yodel. This gives them a chance to back out of a fight if they realize they are facing a much stronger loon! I once saw a loon pair scuffling over a territory boundary. The mini-fight soon broke up and both pair members were swimming back into their respective territories. Suddenly, one of the males turned around, swam right up to the territory boundary, and yodeled—it was like he was saying, “And stay out!” Males will also yodel to express upset/distress, they will yodel at bald eagles, and they will yodel at passing airplanes–oversized bald eagles to loons!
4) Hoot: The hoot is essentially loon chatter and is much softer than the other calls. The hoot can be given in family groups as a checking-in/life-is-good call. You may see a family swimming along together with the adults hooting back and forth to each other. Adults will hoot to encourage their chicks to eat, especially if the chicks are being stubborn and refusing the food. The more the chicks refuse to eat, the more vehement the hoot from the adult gets! Hoots are also given between loons in social groupings who don’t know each other. In this case, loons seem to be talking out whether they are going to swim along together for a bit or if they are going to end up in a scuffle.
While these are the four main calls given by loons, loons also have other sounds. Loons make cooing sounds as they are looking for nest sites or preparing to mate. When chicks hatch, loons will give any combination of coos and the above calls. In this case, the usual meanings of the calls seem to disappear and the loons are simply announcing the hatch to the world! On a much sadder note, loons make soft moaning calls when they lose a nest or chicks. This is a truly heartbreaking call to hear. But loons have an amazing vocabulary and can express so much, so keep your ears open and listen to what the loons are saying!
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
To be added to the weekly Squam mailing list send an email to squam@loon.org.
https://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.png00Tiffany Gradehttps://loon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Loon-Preservation-Committee-Logowhitetextnb-300x300.pngTiffany Grade2019-08-04 18:42:572020-03-24 11:58:44Squam Lake Loon Report: Chicks doing well, but last nest failed
The past week has been a challenging one for the loons of the Squam Lakes. Sadly, one of the chicks on Little Squam has disappeared in what was likely a predation incident. It occurred between late last Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning—if anyone heard or saw anything, please let me know. If anyone finds the body of the chick, please call the Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666. Fortunately, the remaining Little Squam chick is looking good and getting stuffed full of crayfish by its parents! On Squam Lake, one of the two remaining nests failed as a result of frequent and intense intrusions from other loons trying to take over the territory. So our totals for the two lakes right now are 1 chick on Little Squam and 4 chicks on Squam Lake, with 1 remaining active nest.
You may remember that a dead adult loon was collected from Squam Lake in early July. This loon was the incubating female from a territory where the eggs were due to hatch just days after her death. As is normal when this occurs, the nest was abandoned after she died, so both the female and her nest were lost in this incident. The necropsy results are in, and this female loon died from avian malaria. This was only the second loon ever documented in North America to have died from avian malaria (the first being at Lake Umbagog in 2015) and suggests the influence of climate change in exposing loons to new pathogens that previously were not extant within their range. A dead loon collected elsewhere in the state the same weekend as the Squam loon was also subsequently determined to have died from avian malaria as well, so this may be a new, emerging threat to loons in New Hampshire. Avian malaria is a mosquito-borne disease but is not transmissible to humans. Many thanks to the person who collected and reported this dead loon. It is very important for LPC to recover these dead loons to better understand causes of death in loons and threats facing the loon population.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Census last weekend! Census participants joined other counters throughout New England last Saturday morning to give a region-wide snapshot of loons in the Northeast. On the Squam Lakes, 36 adult loons and 5 chicks were counted.
In lieu of the P.S. feature this week, I am attaching a copy of the July 2019 Loon Preservation Committee’s annual progress report for our Squam Lake Loon Initiative, our intensive research, monitoring, management, and outreach effort to understand the causes of declines in Squam’s loon population and to restore a healthy population of loons to the lake. Please let me know if you have any questions about the report or LPC’s work on Squam.
As always, please contact me with any reports, questions, or concerns about Squam’s loons, and please report any sick, injured, or dead loons to Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666.
Squam Lake Loon Report: Chicks growing fast!
Good news—the chicks of the Squam Lakes continue to do well! There have been several cases of other loons intruding on a couple of the families recently, but the parents have been able to battle them off—I hope that continues! The chicks are growing fast and range in age from 5-7.5 weeks right now, with several of the older chicks losing their down and getting their regular feathers. So, our totals for the week remain at 1 chick on Little Squam and 4 chicks on Squam Lake.
If you’ve been wanting to get on a loon cruise this summer, there are just a few more weeks to join us! Loon cruises are offered through a partnership between the Loon Preservation Committee and our friends at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. They run each Monday and Friday afternoon at 3:00 through the end of August and give people a chance to see loons and learn about them. For more information, please visit https://www.nhnature.org/programs/loon_cruise.php.
Please join us for a volunteer potluck at the Loon Center on Thursday, August 22nd, at 6 PM! This is our chance to say “Thank You!” to all our wonderful volunteers, so we’d love to have you join us! This will be followed by the end-of-season report by Loon Preservation Committee’s Senior Biologist, Harry Vogel, at 7:00—our first chance to hear how the summer went for loons in New Hampshire! Even if you can’t make the potluck, please come for Harry’s talk. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Hope to see you on the 22nd!
We will continue our “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?” series with a look at why you might be seeing groups of 4-14 loons out and about at this time of the year. What is going on with these loon gatherings? Please see the P.S. below to find out! As always, please contact me with any questions, concerns, or reports, and please report any sick, injured, or dead loons to the Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666.
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
P.S. “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?”—Social gatherings: We’re all used to the idea that loons are solitary birds and don’t like other loons, right? We see them in their pairs and we know they defend their territory against other loons. Later in the fall, we might see them grouping up before migration, but the received wisdom is that loons wouldn’t be in groups other than for migration. It turns out that this is\ true only to a point—because those groups of loons that you see from mid-July through August are, in fact, social gatherings, loons just hanging out. Who would have thought?!?
The received wisdom about loons as “anti-social” birds is only true in so far as it goes. Loons, of course, are territorial birds; and as long as the potential for nesting and raising young exists, loons don’t want other loons in their territories. But once that potential is over with—whether the pair didn’t nest, lost their nest and have decided against nesting again, or lost their chicks—loons will start socializing with other loons. These are loons with no responsibilities whatsoever and have nothing better to do than socialize!
Social gatherings comprise anything from 4-14+ loons and include both males and females. They will come in from across Squam as well as surrounding lakes and spend time together for several hours before returning to their “home” territories. A number of years ago, I saw the banded female from Red Hill Pond on Squam in a social gathering. A few weeks ago, I saw a gathering of 9 loons that included both members of the Kimball Island pair, the Moultonborough Bay female, the ex-Mink Island female, and 5 unbanded loons. Loons will gather in a “neutral zone” of the lake (i.e., an area of the lake that is not part of a loon territory), or a portion of the lake that is in a loon territory but the pair is no longer actively defending it because the breeding potential for the year is over. As the loons are meeting up, they will do a lot of hooting to each other, their single note call that is essentially loon chatter (see last week’s edition of “What are those (crazy!) loons doing??!?” to learn more about the hoot and other calls). The initial meeting among loons can include a healthy degree of distrust, especially among loons who don’t know each other very well. You may see some circling, diving, and peering in the water, as the loons size each other up and figure out whether they are going to get along or not. Sometimes social gatherings do end in a scuffle, but usually the loons settle in and decide to get along with each other. Once they’ve met up, social gatherings include a lot of swimming along, hooting to each other.
But it is not necessarily all completely innocent socializing. There is some evidence that loons are scoping out potential future territories for them to takeover while in these groupings, and perhaps seeking strength in numbers to test the defenses of existing pairs. After all, the loons in these gatherings are the “losers” of the loon world—they weren’t successful this year and don’t have chicks to care for. They may be looking for a better territory—and a chick is the ultimate sign of a better territory. Last year, the Kimball Island pair had two chicks. In early August, a group of 9 loons started putting pressure on the pair, intruding into their territory, and finally one of their chicks was killed during a coordinated attack by these 9 loons. This was a calculated assault to try to weaken the pair in the hopes that one or two of the group could take over the territory. Over the next several weeks, the pair and their remaining chick endured near-constant intrusions, and I was terrified the remaining chick would be killed. Fortunately, the parents hung on and the chick survived. But loons have long memories; and, as the Kimball pair settled into nesting this year, they soon drew the attention of intruders as well, who likely remembered that they had two chicks last year. The near constant intrusions while they were trying to incubate finally forced the Kimball pair to abandon their nest. It wasn’t long after their nest failure that the Kimball pair turned up in a social group too.
But most social gatherings are simply that—a social gathering! It is an extraordinary sight to see so many loons together and always fascinating to watch their interactions and behaviors. So as you’re boating around the lake, keep your eyes open for groups of loons—you never know where the party might be!
To be added to the weekly Squam mailing list send an email to squam@loon.org.
Squam Lake Loon Report: Chicks doing well, but last nest failed
The good news for the past week is that all of the chicks on the Squam Lakes are still doing well! There are 4 chicks on Squam Lake and one chick on Little Squam—they are being busily fed minnows and crayfish by their hard-working parents and are growing fast. As they get older, the families are starting to move around more widely within their territories, so please keep ask your lake neighbors to be alert for loons and boat carefully in areas of the lake marked with Loon Preservation Committee’s (LPC) orange “Caution: Loon Chicks” signs. The unhappy news for the week is that the final nest on Squam Lake has failed. The nest went beyond its expected hatch date and the adults gave up on it yesterday. Working under LPC’s state and federal permits, I collected the single egg on the nest for LPC’s research, and it will be a candidate for contaminant testing as part of our Squam Lake Loon Initiative. It is disappointing—I was hoping for another chick or two on the lake yet! But please spread the word to lake users to boat carefully in areas marked with the chick signs and to keep a respectful distance (at least 150’) from loons and loon families—let’s all work together to give the chicks the best chance for survival! Thank you for your help!
I received a report last week that there may be a loon with a fishing lure or fishing line attached to it in the area of Owl’s Head. Please let me know if you see this loon. So far, the loons I have seen in this area of the lake have been fine, but I am continuing to watch carefully. Thanks to the people who reported this possible problem—it’s very much appreciated!
Just a reminder to spread the word about LPC’s lead tackle buyback program (download flyer) and to ask lake users, neighbors, and renters to use only non-lead, loon safe tackle. Lead fishing jigs and sinkers weighing 1 oz or less are banned for sale and use in New Hampshire, so it’s both the law and the right thing to do to protect loons and other wildlife. The good news is that LPC’s data suggests that the majority of loons that die from lead tackle ingestion acquire it from current fishing activity (ingesting a fish that has broken a line and has tackle attached to it or striking at a bait or fish being retrieved by an angler). It used to be thought that loons ingest lost tackle from the lake bottom as grit, but LPC’s data suggests that this seems to be only a relatively minor way that loons ingest lead tackle. This is an encouraging finding—if people stop using lead tackle, we should see an immediate benefit to our loon population with fewer lead deaths! So far this summer, 6 loons have already been documented statewide that have died from lead tackle ingestion. Unfortunately, these likely won’t be the last this year. Squam Boat Livery is participating in the lead tackle buyback program and lead tackle can be turned in there in exchange for a $10 coupon, Lead tackle can also be turned in at the Loon Center, Squam Lakes Association, and NH Fish and Game offices. Also, please remind people to reel their line in if loons are in the area where they are fishing and to wait for the loons to move on—loons’ natural instinct is to strike at something that flashes past them, thinking it’s a fish. Unfortunately, it could be a bait being reeled in, resulting in that loon being hooked. So please encourage people to fish in a way that is loon safe—lead free and reel in around loons!
Mark your calendars now for August 22nd—that is when we will have the preliminary data pulled together on how the 2019 season was for New Hampshire’s loons! LPC’s Senior Biologist, Harry Vogel, will be giving the end-of-season report at the Loon Center at 7:00. Please join us to get the first word on the 2019 loon season!
We wrapped up the “Meet the Loons of Squam” series with the last of our banded singles on the lake. “Meet the Loons of Squam” will return next year when we will revisit the territories and see what changes have occurred in our pairs. For the rest of this summer, please see the P.S. below for “What are those crazy loons doing?!?”—a look at loon behavior and what it all means! This week, we’ll take a look (and a listen!) to those iconic calls—what are the loons saying? Please see the P.S. below to find out! As always, please feel free to contact me with any reports, questions, or concerns, and please contact the Loon Preservation Committee to report any sick, injured, or dead loons (603-476-5666).
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
P.S. “What are those crazy loons doing?!?”: The Calls—As anyone who has spent any time on New Hampshire’s lakes knows, loons have a lot to say for themselves The calls of the loons are just as iconic as the beautiful black and white plumage of the birds themselves. It’s hard to imagine the Squam Lakes without those haunting calls echoing off the mountains. But just what are the loons saying? Loons have an extraordinary communication system and convey a lot through their calls. Let’s take a quick look (and listen!) at the loons’ 4 main calls and what they mean. You can click on the following link to listen to the calls: https://www.loon.org/voice-loon.php.
1) Tremolo: Many people have a misconception about the tremolo, which is often called “the loon’s laughter.” Unfortunately, the loon is not laughing at all. This is the loon’s main distress call, given in situations when a loon is very upset, such as when an eagle is flying over or a boat is much too close. If loons give this call when you are in the vicinity, please back away from them. This is also the strongest call a female loon can give, and a female loon will use it during fights with other loons. You will sometimes hear a “tremolo duet,” in which both members of a pair tremolo to express their upset over whatever is happening. At night, especially in early spring, a pair may tremolo duet to announce that they are on territory, and this also serves as a pair-bonding ritual. This call is the only call a loon gives when flying. In this case, it is a little higher-pitched than the on-the-water version and is simply a contact call.
2) Wail: The wail is the main contact call for loons, given to reconnect with a mate that may be at the other end of the territory or to call chicks over to a parent. The wail basically means, “Where are you? I’m here, come here.” It is frequently heard at night as loons make contact with their mates and communicate with neighboring loons. The wail can also be a low-level distress call—if a loon is feeling a little nervous but it hasn’t risen to “tremolo-level” distress, they will use the wail. Again, if a loon gives a wail when you are nearby in a boat, please back away.
3) Yodel: This call is given only by male loons and is used as a territorial defense call. Individual male loons have their own version of the yodel, and they are distinct enough that even human listeners can identify individual males by their yodel. With their yodels, males let other male loons know they are on territory—and that other male loons should stay away! It is also given in fights between male loons, and research has shown that male loons can tell how strong another male is by listening to their yodel. This gives them a chance to back out of a fight if they realize they are facing a much stronger loon! I once saw a loon pair scuffling over a territory boundary. The mini-fight soon broke up and both pair members were swimming back into their respective territories. Suddenly, one of the males turned around, swam right up to the territory boundary, and yodeled—it was like he was saying, “And stay out!” Males will also yodel to express upset/distress, they will yodel at bald eagles, and they will yodel at passing airplanes–oversized bald eagles to loons!
4) Hoot: The hoot is essentially loon chatter and is much softer than the other calls. The hoot can be given in family groups as a checking-in/life-is-good call. You may see a family swimming along together with the adults hooting back and forth to each other. Adults will hoot to encourage their chicks to eat, especially if the chicks are being stubborn and refusing the food. The more the chicks refuse to eat, the more vehement the hoot from the adult gets! Hoots are also given between loons in social groupings who don’t know each other. In this case, loons seem to be talking out whether they are going to swim along together for a bit or if they are going to end up in a scuffle.
While these are the four main calls given by loons, loons also have other sounds. Loons make cooing sounds as they are looking for nest sites or preparing to mate. When chicks hatch, loons will give any combination of coos and the above calls. In this case, the usual meanings of the calls seem to disappear and the loons are simply announcing the hatch to the world! On a much sadder note, loons make soft moaning calls when they lose a nest or chicks. This is a truly heartbreaking call to hear. But loons have an amazing vocabulary and can express so much, so keep your ears open and listen to what the loons are saying!
Thank you for your interest in Squam’s loons!
Tiffany
To be added to the weekly Squam mailing list send an email to squam@loon.org.
A challenging week, and a surprising diagnosis
The past week has been a challenging one for the loons of the Squam Lakes. Sadly, one of the chicks on Little Squam has disappeared in what was likely a predation incident. It occurred between late last Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning—if anyone heard or saw anything, please let me know. If anyone finds the body of the chick, please call the Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666. Fortunately, the remaining Little Squam chick is looking good and getting stuffed full of crayfish by its parents! On Squam Lake, one of the two remaining nests failed as a result of frequent and intense intrusions from other loons trying to take over the territory. So our totals for the two lakes right now are 1 chick on Little Squam and 4 chicks on Squam Lake, with 1 remaining active nest.
You may remember that a dead adult loon was collected from Squam Lake in early July. This loon was the incubating female from a territory where the eggs were due to hatch just days after her death. As is normal when this occurs, the nest was abandoned after she died, so both the female and her nest were lost in this incident. The necropsy results are in, and this female loon died from avian malaria. This was only the second loon ever documented in North America to have died from avian malaria (the first being at Lake Umbagog in 2015) and suggests the influence of climate change in exposing loons to new pathogens that previously were not extant within their range. A dead loon collected elsewhere in the state the same weekend as the Squam loon was also subsequently determined to have died from avian malaria as well, so this may be a new, emerging threat to loons in New Hampshire. Avian malaria is a mosquito-borne disease but is not transmissible to humans. Many thanks to the person who collected and reported this dead loon. It is very important for LPC to recover these dead loons to better understand causes of death in loons and threats facing the loon population.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Census last weekend! Census participants joined other counters throughout New England last Saturday morning to give a region-wide snapshot of loons in the Northeast. On the Squam Lakes, 36 adult loons and 5 chicks were counted.
In lieu of the P.S. feature this week, I am attaching a copy of the July 2019 Loon Preservation Committee’s annual progress report for our Squam Lake Loon Initiative, our intensive research, monitoring, management, and outreach effort to understand the causes of declines in Squam’s loon population and to restore a healthy population of loons to the lake. Please let me know if you have any questions about the report or LPC’s work on Squam.
As always, please contact me with any reports, questions, or concerns about Squam’s loons, and please report any sick, injured, or dead loons to Loon Preservation Committee at (603) 476-5666.