Loon Migration
Published:
November 8, 2010
Photo by Denise Dupras
– Roberta & George Snyder, via e-mail
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There is something special about loons, isn’t there? And you’re right,
loons and other migrating birds will be affected by the oil spill,
something loon lovers and wildlife conservation groups are very
concerned about. Time will tell just how much damage the oil spill will
cause.
Loons subsist entirely on a diet of fish and other
aquatic animals. So they are particularly susceptible to the damaging
effects of water pollution, which can accumulate in the aquatic food
chain.
Will the loons migrating to the Gulf area be
undeterred by potentially contaminated food sources, or will they avoid
those waters, and push forward to find a better spot? Not even wildlife
biologists know much at this point. And many loons – some estimates say
around half of the loon population – don’t go to the Gulf, but spend
their winters in southeastern coastal areas.
The soonest
we’ll have any sort of idea will be early December or January, when the
birds typically arrive. Conservation and wildlife organizations working
onsite will be able to give us details of what’s happening.
In
Wisconsin, the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in
collaboration with the Minnesota DNR and the U.S. Geological Survey,
has implanted 10 loons with satellite transmitters to keep track of
their movement this winter. It’s a small number, but a start
nonetheless, and will help them determine where the loons are going and
whether they’re coming back.
In another part of this study,
which actually originated with a desire to know more about avian
botulism, 70 loons were equipped with geo locators. These locators
record many details: how deep loons are diving, where they are
wintering, what they’re eating, etc. Geo locators, however, require
that the loons be recaptured so the data can be downloaded, which means
this information won’t be accessible in real time.
What we
do know is this: Species can bounce back after disasters if there is
enough of an effort to re-establish habitat. Thankfully, we have a lot
of loon lovers – from those working in the Gulf area, to volunteers and
paid conservation workers in loons’ home states, to those contributing
money to the cause – and they are working to help loons remain in
abundance.
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