Unfortunate Loon Death

We received the following information from one of the biologists at The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC, https://www.loon.org/contact-loon-center.php ).  Please, if you see a loon in distress, or have any questions at all, contact the LPC. This is why they are there.

“Just wanted to keep you in the loop–yesterday, I collected a dead loon on Merrymeeting, on a beach on South Shore Road. It is unbanded, so we’re not sure yet whether it was a pair member or not. Based on the size of the bird I assume it is a female, but that will be confirmed when it is necropsied.  The next necropsy day will be held sometime in mid-October, and I’ll update you on what is found.

The person who reported the loon noted that after he found it, some neighbors told him that they had seen the loon beached and acting sick a few days before it died. They had approached it, and the loon was very lethargic and did not react to their presence.

Unfortunately, we never got a call about the loon when it was still alive. I’m assuming Fish and Game was not called either, as they always forward their loon distress calls on to us.

I think there are a lot of folks out there who might not realize that LPC exists or that they should report these things to us.”

LPC