Spring migration continues to gain momentum. Dr. David Aborn provides an update on migration and weather throughout the U.S. What species are you noticing? Please report your observations to Journey North.
As far as we are currently aware, the members of loon pairs do not spend the winter together. They typically migrate separately in the fall, winter separately, and then arrive back to breeding lakes at different times (the males tend to arrive a bit earlier than the females).
Though we primarily work with Common Loons here in New Hampshire, there are actually 4 other loon species that exist in the world today! In January and February, we talked about Red-throated loons, Arctic Loons, and Pacific Loons. This month we are wrapping up this series with some facts about the final species, the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii).
The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) is dedicated to restoring and maintaining a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; monitoring the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and promoting a greater understanding of loons and the natural world.
Well, while it is still slower than I thought, migration is starting to pick up. Several days of clear skies and southerly winds have allowed migrants to make some progress. The big winners of the week were Florida and Alabama, which saw a large arrival of migrants over the past few days, including 15 species of warblers! Among the new arrivals were Black-throated-blue Warblers, Wood Thrushes, and Great Crested Flycatchers.
