To many of us, the call of the loon is synonymous with summer on Lovewell Pond.  In the 1950's and the 1960's, this wasn't the case.  Back then, loons were very rare on Maine's ponds and lakes.  The Maine Loon Project was started in 1977 to study the status of the loon population.  Thanks to such programs and the public's response, loons ( and eagles) are back on the pond.

We all love to hear the "call of the loon".  Each call means something differentin "loonspeak" but to us humans, the sounds translate into "please stay away... enjoyus from afar".

Other ways we can encourage the loons to stay on our pond and to return each year are the following: (from Maine Audubon: www.maineaudubon.org .

     • Use onle phosphate free detergent & fertilizer

     • Enjoy loons from a distance

     • While boating, watch for loons and keep your distance

     • Slow down if you suspect you are close to diving loons

     • Use only lead free fishing sinkers & jigs, and properly dispose of old lead tackle

     • Retrieve broken fishing lines

"Common loons are protected by both state and federal laws prohibiting harassment of wildlife"

There are some great links to information on loons.  Below are a few:
www.birding.about.com
www.michiganloons.org
www.loons.org
www.loon.org
www.mainaudubon.org
www.fishing-in-maine.com

Lets hope that this summer we'll have lots of evenings full of "haunting" songs of the loons.

The Annual Loon Count

In 2004, the Maine Audubon Society completed 21 years of it's "Loon Count".  Each year, on the third Saturday of July, from 7-7:30 AM, on every lake and pond in Maine, volunteers go out on their lakes and count the loons that they see, marking a special map with the place and time of sighting. 

The results of 21 years of the loon count on Lovewell Pond are posted below: