7357-R2_LSLA_2020_WinterNewsletter

one of the territorial pair “encouraging” them to retreat. In 2019 Hayden Bay was a disputed nesting site which unfortunately resulted in the female of the territorial pair being evicted by a new female, and the chick dying. This year the disputes occurred throughout all three basins of the lake and may have been the cause of the low number of nest attempts and late nesting attempts. The territorial pair may hold off mating while engaged in defending their territory. It is encouraging that the geography of our lake and quality of our lake water provides a very attractive habitat for breeding grounds, but a loon family need a fairly expansive territory to support their feeding grounds throughout their chick rearing season and this year’s display of territorial disturbances on Little Sebago may mean that the lake is at or at least approaching maximum population saturation. The good news is that we did not lose any chicks to non-parent adults this year, and no chicks or adults to human acts. Raptures were the likely cause of one chick’s demise and were observed taking one egg from one nest as the parents temporarily left the nest to take the already hatched chick to water. We did also lose one waterfowl to what appeared to be an injury caused by a predator, possibly rapture, but this was not a loon. We lost one nest as a result of a particularly bad weather event where the egg was washed out of the nest and damaged on rock below it, and another to what looked likely to be a predator of some sort. It disturbs me the most when human actions cause the loss of native species. We cannot be certain, but it appears that this year’s losses were not attributable to human activity. Results from the necropsy of a banded adult loon that was found deceased last fall off Northern Oak Drive determined cause as Aspergillosis, which is a fungal respiratory infection fairly

common among loons and other waterfowl. Two chicks were also necropsied. Both had hatched, survived for a period, then recovered deceased without any visible sign of injury. Blood levels for mercury, lead, and other contaminants were taken and determined well within safe ranges. Little Sebago was home to another wonderful Loon adventure this summer. I had the good fortune to host and get to know a talented local photographer with a keen interest in loons. His name is Bruce Small. He and his wife launched kayaks at my home weekly for the first three months of chick raising season. Luckily, my home is near where Chick “Sandy” hatched and brooded, so Bruce was able to provide us a photographic chronicle of Sandy’s development over the summer and into fall. You may visit Little Sebago Lake Association web site soon for a detailed pictural of loon chick phenology. That’s it for now, it really is hard to keep these updates brief with highlights only when I, and the Rangers, have so many interesting stories to share. You can visit Little Sebago Loon Watch for day by day news. Stay safe and we shall see you in the spring. Sharon Young Little Sebago Loon Monitoring and Conservation

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