Join our team!

LPC is seeking a part-time Loon Center Assistant! The Loon Center Assistant will help our Loon Center Manager with the day-to-day operations of The Loon Center, The Loon’s Feather gift shop, and the John and Kittie Wilson Field Operations Center. For a full job description, please click here.

Presentations and Educational Events

We've got lots of fun and educational events planned for the month of July, including powerpoint presentations at The Loon Center and other locations throughout the state, guided paddling trips, and guided pontoon tours. For a full list of our events in June, please see the event calendar on our website (here). We hope to see you!

Save the date for the Loon Census and 45th Annual Loon Festival!

The Loon Census and Annual Loon Festival will be held on Saturday, July 20 this year! Start your day by participating in the Loon Census from 8-9 AM at a lake of your choice*, then join us at The Loon Center (183 Lees Mill Road in Moultonborough) from 10 AM–2 PM for the Loon Festival! The Loon Festival is free of charge, open to the public, and will include balloon creations, live animals, face painting, and a dunk tank, where a correctly-answered loon trivia question will earn you the opportunity to dunk one of our biologists! We hope you can join us!

Participants enjoy an LPC guided paddling trip on Chocorua Lake in May 2024. Photo credit: Deb Marnich.

*If you have any questions about how to participate in the Loon Census, please email volunteers@loon.org.

Summer Nature Talks

Our Summer Nature Talk Series begins this week! See below for a schedule of presentations.

LPC at Work

June was an exciting month for us at LPC! Our staff kept busy surveying lakes, placing signs to protect loons nesting at sites vulnerable to human disturbance, documenting the hatch of chicks, rescuing loons in distress, banding loons, and giving presentations to teach members of the public more about loons and the challenges that they face. See the photos below for some highlights!

LPC Pemigewasset Region Biologist, Jayden Mowery, and Veterinary Intern, Katie Baxter, release a rescued loon in June. This loon had become trapped in a shallow stretch of the Suncook River when the water level was lowered to repair the boat launch. LPC staff were able to capture the loon, evaluate its condition, and release it onto Lougee Pond. We have continued to monitor it on Lougee Pond in the weeks since its rescue.

LPC Seacoast Region Biologist, Michael Clasby, holds a loon chick during a night of banding on Jenness Pond.

North Country Biologist, Lauren O'Malley, surveys for loons on Cherry Pond. Photo courtesy of David Govatski.

Outreach Intern, Lynda Moore, teaches members of the public in Acton about loons and LPC's work to protect them.

There was some excitement on Upper Baker Pond in mid-June when the loon raft anchors broke, resulting in the raft beginning to drift around the pond with the loons still sitting on it! Normally we would not closely approach a loon nest, however, in this emergency situation, we knew that we needed to act quickly or risk the nest failing. With the help of local volunteers, LPC's West Lakes Region Biologist, Ollie Kyllonen, was able to get out to the pond, reposition the nest raft, and replace the anchors, all without flushing the loons! His efforts were well worth it—11 days after this nest rescue, two chicks hatched!

A Tale of Two Loon Cams

It's been an interesting start to our Loon Cam season! In a 'normal' year, we expect our Loon Cam 1 pair to lay their eggs in late May and hatch chicks in late June. But 2024 has not been a normal year for this pair. At the start of the season, three loons were spotted on the lake. These loons spent several weeks jockeying for control of the territory. When the dust settled and 'ownership' of the territory was finally established, our old banded female found herself on the outs. The banded male paired up with the new, unbanded female, and they laid their first egg on June 18th. Their second egg came 2.5 days later, on June 21st.

Unfortunately, it has not been smooth sailing for this loon nest. Though the loons sit on their eggs normally during the daytime hours, they have been observed leaving the eggs unattended for hours at a time at night nearly every night since the eggs were laid. Loons normally incubate their eggs nearly constantly, and we are not sure what effect these nighttime breaks may have on the development of the eggs. On June 22nd, an intruding loon approached the nest closely, and the incubating loon (the banded male) flushed off of the nest to chase this intruder away. You can see a video of this encounter below.

Then on June 26, as the female of the pair climbed onto the nest to begin her incubation shift, one of the eggs was crushed beneath her. You can see a video of the egg being crushed below.

We are not sure why this happened—a normal loon egg should be able to withstand the weight of its parents' bodies. It is possible that there may have been something wrong with this egg from the start. Alternately, it is possible that the parents' sporadic incubation of the eggs at night may have been a factor—perhaps gas built up in this egg because it was not turned as frequently as it should have been during the first few days of development. In any case, the loons removed the broken egg from the nest, likely to avoid attracting predators to their remaining egg. They have continued to incubate the second egg (though they are still routinely leaving it unattended for hours at a time at night). We are eager to see if it will hatch! If the egg is still viable, then the expected hatch window for this nest is July 14-16th. You can tune in to Loon Cam 1 here.

It has been a much more routine year for our Loon Cam 2 pair. They had a bit of excitement at the start of the nesting season, when a Canada Goose decided to nest on the raft. Fortunately, the timing worked out well—the goose nest finished just as the loons were starting to show interest in the raft. The Loon Cam 2 pair laid their first egg on June 17th and their second egg on June 19th. They have been incubating consistently, and we expect their eggs to hatch sometime between June 13-15th. You can tune in to Loon Cam 2 here!

Loon Fact of the Month: Maintenance Behaviors

Loons only come on land to nest or if they are ill or injured. They spend the rest of their time on the water. Because of this, it is of critical importance to their health for loons to keep their feathers waterproofed and in good condition. Well-maintained feathers create a barrier that prevents water from reaching a loon's skin. How do loons keep their feathers waterproofed? They preen!

Located at the base of a loon's tail is the uropygial gland. This gland produces oil, which loons use to waterproof their feathers. When preening, a loon will use its bill to grab oil from this gland. It will then run its bill across and through the feathers on its wings and back to coat them with the oil. To preen its breast and belly feathers, a loon will roll over onto its side and run its bill over these feathers. While preening its belly, a loon may lift one leg into the air.

To preen their necks and heads, loons will deposit a bit of oil on their backs, then rub their head against their backs. Preening is an important part of a loon's daily maintenance, and they may spend an hour or more each day performing this important behavior.

The preening process can look strange, and to those who have never seen it before, it may appear that the loon is tangled and trying to pull something off of its body. Each summer, we receive many calls at The Loon Center from concerned members of the public who are mistaking a preening loon for a loon in distress. But rest assured—while odd looking, preening is a totally normal and healthy behavior for loons.

This month, 'Lakin it Easy' cocktail napkins are on sale in our store! These napkins measure 5"x5" and are made of soft 3-ply paper. They feature an adorable design by artist Scott Church. Stop by The Loon Center in person or shop online to take advantage of this deal! All proceeds from our store are used to fund our important work for loons in New Hampshire. Thank you for your support!

We’re rated by Charity Navigator! You can give with confidence knowing that we have been independently evaluated for effectively stewarding donations.

Loon Preservation Committee | 603-476-LOON (5666) | www.loon.org