Maine Audubon is still seeking volunteers to assist with the 42nd Annual Loon Count to be conducted on Sebago Lake later this month.
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| Maine Audubon is seeking volunteers to assist with the 42nd Annual Loon Count to be conducted 9n Sebago Lake early in the morning of Saturday, July 19. The annual event is part of a statewide initiative to count loons and chicks and track the population changes. COURTESY PHOTO |
On Saturday, July 19, a contingent of volunteers will gather at Sebago Lake early in the morning for the count.
“The data volunteers collect is used to track population trends over time,” says Maine Audubon Director of Conservation Sally Stockwell. “We expect some fluctuations year to year, but the numbers indicate a healthy loon population, with a slowly increasing adult population and relatively stable chick numbers.” Maine has the largest population of loons in the eastern United States, which makes the breeding success of loons here critical to the regional population at large.
For years, counting Sebago Lake’s 100-plus miles of shorefront on nearly one trillion gallons of fresh water and at 49 different survey areas presented a significant challenge to Maine Audubon. And despite the efforts of many volunteers, the entire lake was never fully counted.
In 2022, volunteer counters were recruited from each of the seven municipalities that border Sebago Lake and other volunteers signed up as well who wanted to be part of the count. What resulted was the first-ever full Sebago Lake count thanks to more than 50 volunteers who participated and covered more than 30,000 acres of water.
Statewide in 2024, Maine Audubon drew its greatest amount of volunteer participants for the annual event and counted 1,624 loons on 407 lakes. Because of this, Maine Audubon estimated a Common Loon population in Maine of 3,146 adults, south of the 45th parallel. However, the organization says not enough lakes were surveyed north of the 45th parallel to estimate the loon population for the entire state.
Therefore, to expand its reach and involve more volunteers in the count, Maine Audubon will conduct Extended Duration Surveys this summer. This pilot program will count loon populations on remote lakes not surveyed in previous years from July 19 to July 26 while scouting, accessing, and conducting a one-hour survey of their assigned lakes
Most loons nest within one foot of the water’s edge, so they are especially vulnerable to washout from large waves. All motorboats on Maine lakes are required to travel at no-wake speeds when they are within 200 feet of shore or islands. Boats that facilitate wake surfing create even larger waves and can impact loon nests even when operating as far as 500-600 feet offshore. In 2024, a new state law was implemented to address wakesurfing activity and requires individuals “from operating a motorboat in less than 15 feet of water or within 300 feet of the shoreline when the motorboat is engaged in a wakesurfing activity.”
The Common Loon faces all kinds of threats including from boat strikes, nest flooding, lead tackle, eagle predators and despite that with the help of an ever-growing volunteer base, the population remains robust.
“There are so many people looking out for loons,” says Loon Count Data Coordinator Ethan Daly. “Loons are something Mainers can appreciate and unite behind. More people are educating their neighbors, more people are involved in our loon restoration program, more people are getting rid of lead tackle, and more people are considering how shoreline management can impact freshwater ecosystems.”
For more information about the annual count or the Maine Loon Project, or to volunteer as a counter on Sebago Lake, contact SebagoLakeLoonCount@gmail.com or visit maineaudubon.org/loons. <
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