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By GLENN GARNETT
They’re called Common loons, but there’s nothing common about their mournful cry across a misty lake in the early morning. It is the anthem of the Canadian wilderness.
The closest most of us get to these birds is when we reach into our pockets to pull out a one-dollar coin for a paper or a coffee. But like the “loonie” they adorn, the bird is a cause for concern - their diminishing habitat and the encroachment of man has caused their numbers to dwindle over the years.
That’s why there’s a public education program underway and there’s some hopeful signs that the loon will continue to be a prized feature of cottage country for years to come.
Kathy Jones, Aquatic Surveys officer for Bird Studies Canada, says the ongoing Canadian Lakes Loons Survey is finally yielding some good news.
“It’s a long term survey where we look at the reproductive success of loons through time,” she explains, adding they’ve been at it in Ontario since 1981 and the rest of Canada since about 1991. Over that time, members of the survey have compiled a fair bit of data.
“For a long time they were declining in numbers, but now we’re starting to see a slight reproductive success increase,” she says. “We don’t know if it will continue but we’re hoping.”
Any theories on the turnaround?
“Probably at this point it would be a reduction in acid rain,” Jones says. “We’ve had good controls on acid rain in recent years and they’re starting to take effect. Even on lakes badly affected by acid rain over the past couple of decades, they’re doing better.”
But the news isn’t all good - Ontario and Quebec still have the lowest reproductive rates for loons in Canada. Pollution could be a factor, but Jones speculates it could also be because the level of population on the lakes in those two provinces continues to rise as cottaging grows in popularity.
There are a number of steps cottagers can take toward creating loon-friendly lakes.
“When you’re out boating, watch your wake so you’re not swamping chicks and nests,” Jones begins. “Also, Don’t separate loons from their chicks and stay away from their nests.”
Jones says loons really need their space - in other words, they should be heard and not seen.
“A lot of boaters may not realize that younger loons have a hard time diving, and because of this, adults and chicks often get separated and once separated, there’s a high risk of the young getting predated,” she points out.
If you infringe on their space, you’re likely to hear a different sort of loon call, a “laughing” sort of cry they give off when distressed. This can indicate you’re a little too close to their nest or their young.
“If a loon starts acting up and dancing on the water around your boat, that’s their way of telling you you’re getting too close - so back off, you’re scaring that bird,” Jones says.
Another thing you can do, and something we’ve promoted in earlier issues of CottageLink magazine, is keeping your shoreline natural.
“The more natural the environment, the more vegetation there is, the better it is for loons and other wildlife,” Jones explains. “Not only because they need those conditions for nests, it also keeps fish populations up for the species.” Because fish is at the top of their menu, it’s important to do all we can to keep fish populations up.
Speaking of fish, if you like a cast a line, try not to use lead weight. Jones says that’s a newer issue in the effort to protect the loon.
“In a number of post-mortems performed on loons, they have found a high number have died of lead poisoning,” Jones says. “There may be other reasons for this, but lead weights are something we can control. A lot of tackle shops now sell bismuth weights and tackle, and they only way we’re going to increase the popularity of these more environmentally safe products is by asking for them.”
Water level control is another big issue, she continues. Jones suggests talking to your local governing agencies about reducing water level changes during the loons’ nesting season, which is from May to July.
“If water levels are adjusted during this period, it’s very harmful for loons - they can’t reproduce, they lose their nesting sites and it affects other species as well,” she says. “So if enough people have conversations with the local governing body, maybe we get these changes timed better for wildlife on the lake.”
Raccoons, foxes, gulls and eagles are the loons’ year-in, year-out nemeses - but leaving garbage out so these critters can feast boosts their side gives them an unfair advantage over the loon population. Loons are hardy enough to handle normal levels of predation, Jones says - it’s when humans butt in that the balance gets thrown out of whack.
“Don’t mess with the food chain - if you leave your garbage out, you feed the foxes and the gulls, anything like that increases the ‘nest scavengers’ to an artificially high level,” Jones says. “Some of the things we can’t play with near as much, like poorly-managed landfill sites, which increases the presence of ravens and bears and whatever. But in your own home or cottage, you can ensure your garbage lids are on tight.”
In short, Jones recommends cottagers keep an eye on the water, get involved in Ministry of the Environment projects and watch water quality - in the end, if your lake is healthy for fish, you’re going to have loons on it.
Giving loons the space they need to do their thing is the best assurance we’ll have them around to enjoy for generations of cottagers to come.
To learn more about the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, and other loons conservation projects, check out the Bird Studies Canada website at www.bsc-eoc.org or call toll-free: 1-888-448-BIRD (2473)
