Common loons have stepped up the pace of their migration. Loons have now been sighted for the first time this spring in 10 states and 1 Canadian province. These sightings have all occurred in the past 16 days. They were collected by people who participate in the "National Birding Hotline Cooperative", a telephone network through which bird watchers track migration. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, knowledgeable volunteers collect this information by telephone and then put it on the Internet.
Meanwhile biologist Dave Evers hopes to have time for the last stages of tests so he can track loon migration by satellite for the first time. He cautions that he may not be able to beat the clock this spring. He may have to delay his research until summer, when the loons are on the breeding grounds. However, he has ordered a satellite transmitter and hopes it will be ready before the loons leave Florida.
As you may recall, the behavior of the first loon he tested with a "dummy" transmitter was normal--other than the highly unusual habit it had of coming onshore. Evers suspects this behavior may be caused by "endocrine disrupters". Thanks to Sam Harrold of Tallahassee, Florida for reading about these chemicals and answering Challenge Question #48: "What do you know about 'endocrine disrupters'? Which animals seem to be affected by them?"
From FLORIDA:
Endocrine disrupters are chemicals found in pesticides and industrial
chemicals. They are "wreaking havoc" with animals' endocrine systems.
They disrupt the normal functioning of the animals' own bodies.
Animals that seem to be affected by them are: Eagles, Otters, Minks, and
Gulls.
Sam Harrold, 4th grade
Academic Resource Center, Tallahassee, FL
beck@wane-leon-mail.scri.fsu.edu
Here are the recent loon sightings collected by the telephone hotline:
From Greater Portland, Maine:
March 12, 1996
Ten COMMON LOONS were at Pine Point in Scarborough.
From Wisconsin:
March 15, 1996
Much of the ice on local ponds and lakes has broken up and many species of waterfowl are present throughout the area. Species of particular note include COMMON LOONS at the Elks Club in downtown Madison.
From Ohio:
March 16,1996
Waterfowl on Wellington Reservoir in Lorain County (SW of Cleveland) on the 16th included a COMMON LOON
From Illinois:
March 17, 1996
A COMMON LOON was seen on Fox Lake in Lake County on Sunday (West of Waukegan).
From Michigan:
March 17 & 18, 1996
COMMON LOONS were seen at Crystal Lake, Hillsdale County (SW of Detroit) on the 17th and at Lake Erie Metro Park, Wayne County (Near Dearborn) on the 18th.
From Ontario:
March 21, 1996
I spotted the solitary loon NE of Kingston, Ontario on a patch of open water near Charleston Lake. (Find Lansdowne, east of Gananoque on Rt. 2. ) David L. Hanselman, Ph.D. Syracuse, New York dlhansel@mailbox.syr.edu
From Rhode Island:
March 22, 1996
At Trustom Pond (South Coast of Rhode Island), 6 COMMON LOONS were seen today.
From New York:
March 23, 1996
The first COMMON LOON reported this year was at Phoenix (NW of Syracuse) With the continued winter weather, migration has been pretty slow. Many area wetlands just started to open up over the weekend
From Tennessee:
March 23, 1996
Two COMMON LOONS in full breeding plumage were reported seen on March 23rd at Cross Creeks Wildlife Refuge. The birds were in the water alongside Highway 49 between Carlisle and Bear Spring in Stewart County (West of Clarksville).
From Ohio:
March 23, 1996
The first COMMON LOONS of the season were reported from Pine
Lake in Mahoning County (West of Youngstown) on March 23.
From Iowa:
March 23 & 24, 1996
The first COMMON LOONS have been reported this past weekend. In the southeast in Marion County at the Red Rock Reservoir (SE of Des Moines) on the 24th, a COMMON LOON was on the lake.
In Polk County, at the Saylorville Reservoir (NW of Des Moines), a COMMON LOON was near the mile-long bridge on the 23rd.
From The District of Columbia:
March 23-24, 1996
A COMMMON LOON was on Georgetown Res, DC, on Mar 23 & 24.
From Illinois:
DuPage County
March 24, 1996
A LOON was found on Sunday in the main lake at Four Lakes Village (West of Chicago).
The Next Common Loon Migration Update Will be Posted on April 4, 1996.
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