The Michigan Loon Preservation Association is asking for volunteers to help the group observe designated lakes during a statewide loon count on July 18 from 7 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers can sign up on the association's website and choose their lake before the count. They will receive a link the morning of the event to enter loon and chick numbers.
Loons are a threatened species in Michigan and their population continues to decline throughout the Midwest. There are several reasons for this decline, including low birth rate, water level changes, human activities, and pollution.
Scott Hedberg, the president of the association, said the loons struggle to keep a stable population.
“They typically have two chicks per year,” he said. “The mortality rate on chicks is pretty high, it’s about 50%.”
He said it's not uncommon for these chicks to be hit by jet skis or wake boats. They are covered in fur when they are born, for warmth, but this also keeps them afloat. Diving under the water is not an option, so they struggle to get out of the way. He said there have already been some sad stories this year with loons losing a foot or wing from boating incidents.
Even when they survive these accidents, loons are migratory aquatic birds, moving to the coasts in the winter when the lakes freeze over. Without a wing or a foot, they can get stuck frozen into the ice, he said.
Hedberg said human activity has also increased the turbidity of water, pushing loons to move north for less populated, clear lakes. High water levels in recent years have also prevented loons from nesting on some Michigan waterways.
“If you don’t have a clear lake, you won't have loons in it,” he said. “They need a clear lake so they can fish and breed, and with the advent of wake boats, they tend to stir up sediment and increase the turbidity of water.”
The breeding zone for loons has moved to north of Muskegon and Bay City but before the 1900s, it encompassed the entire state, he said. Based on estimates, there are roughly only 600 breeding pairs of loons left in Michigan.
Hedberg hopes this statewide loon count can help the association get a more accurate population estimate. He said the count will inform conservation efforts and shed light on which stressors are causing population and location changes.
“From here, I hope we can do it for another 40 or 50 years,” he said. “I would hate to see them go into endangered status. They’re one of the oldest birds in existence.”
Loons have been around significantly longer than humans, he said.
No previous experience is needed for the count and volunteers should observe the loons from at least 150 feet away.
