Endangered Loons
Twenty-two loons were found stranded on ice on Lake Winnipesaukee and most of them were either scavenged by predators or freezing on the ice. Loons are listed as a threatened species in New Hampshire. The population in New Hampshire, which hovers around 500, has struggled for several years, as reproduction rates have fallen on some lakes.
Five of the discovered birds survived, and were taken for release to the open ocean, where they normally spend the winter. Loons need open water to survive and normally leave the inland lakes before they freeze over. New Hampshire's loons winter along the coast from Maine to Rhode Island.
Loons don't reproduce until about age 7, and then only at the average rate of one chick per pair every two years. Adult survival rates are critical to the health of the species. The death of 17 adults is large loss to an already struggling population.
February 22, 2007 6:46 AM | Category: Animals