7968-R2_LSLA_2022_SummerNewsletter_Web

.

2022 Little Sebago Loonacy

It’s that time again – mid-March and anxiously awaiting ice out and loons in! The LSLA Loon Conservation & Monitoring team has some exciting changes to look forward to in 2022. And we have both good and bad news to report from the 2021 season.

when appropriate and serves as advisor to The LS Loon Monitoring & Conservation Program. Lee makes certain we are doing all the right things to support a long-term loon population on our lake. He also synthesizes the Rangers data collection and reports back in an annual summary. Much of the following has been captured from his annual summary report. • In 2021, 10 of 11 known loon territories on Little Sebago Lake were occupied by loon pairs. Seven of the 10 pairs nested (70%). One successful pair hatched one chick (Brigg’s Island Cove). The chick survived to fledge (>6 weeks of age). Six nest failures were recorded. In five of the six cases the eggs were abandoned by the nesting pair. Overall productivity on Little Sebago Lake in 2021 was 0.10 fledged young per territorial pair.

2022 will provide a fifth year of data and the first opportunity to look at the productivity average over the prior five years. • In 2021, the most significant impact on productivity can be attributed to a very high incidence of nest abandonment. The egg(s) of five active nests were left untended, often early in the incubation period. There were many observations of territorial disputes caused by intruding loons into occupied breeding territories. This could help explain increased nest abandonment, but it’s hard to confirm this as a definite cause. Future monitoring of these encounters may help to better inform concerned participants. • The raft in Brigg’s Island Cove was used in 2021, and the nesting pair hatched and fledged the only chick on the lake. Once pairs use a raft there is a greater chance they will use the raft in future years if the same pair returns. At this time, Brigg’s Island Cove is the only occupied territory without good island nesting habitat, and use of a raft there is a very important conservation measure. • Global warming is an alarming trend that can threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems and any species who rely on healthy lakes to reside and breed. Any significant declines in water quality tied to global warming will negatively impact loons over time. The importance of monitoring efforts increases as stakeholders look to understand any long-term trends which may be harmful to loons. It is noted here that LSLA has begun enhanced water quality monitoring efforts, which will aid the organization in tracking any significant declines in lake water quality. • In its fourth year, this project demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration between trained professional researchers and volunteer citizen scientists. With training and guidance of dedicated volunteers following successful models in other regions, this unique partnership allows for the development of sustainable conservation efforts, which in turn provides valuable information to all stakeholders who are concerned about the health of loon populations. So, LS had one wonderful success in 2021, yet a concerning overall reproductivity rating. One thing not included in Lee’s summary report was the loss of the

Hayden Bay nest on the brink of hatching when a boat wake breached the nest and destroyed the egg. That unfortunate failure (clearly caused by man not nature) together with the success of the Briggs Island raft leads to the exciting news we have to share. Your Loon Rangers are hard at work constructing four additional nesting raft kits! They will look something like this. These rafts are wider and heavier and will be able to

First – meet Elsa. This is Elsa on day 1. She represents the successful mating of Little Sebago’s “Grand Dame”, first banded at Horse Island in 1997, with a male first banded here off Sheldrake Point in 2015! This successful hatching is exceedingly remarkable given the advanced age of the Grand Dame (one of the oldest documented loons in the northeast). Even more important to us it took place on an artificial nest raft in Briggs Island Cove. We had placed that nest raft for the past several years since there had been repeated unsuccessful attempts to nest on shore in that area. (More about nesting rafts in a moment.) And here is Elsa at 15 weeks. The Rangers observed her growth throughout the summer and by summer’s end we came to question if Elsa should have been named Elliot. There is no difference in physical appearance between male and female loons except for size. Males are typically about 25% larger than females and young Elsa by the end of summer appeared to be closer in size to dad than mom. The name Elsa was selected as the hatching occurred just after Tropical Storm Elsa passed by. We are very grateful that LSLA will continue to support efforts to monitor our loon population under the guidance of consultant Lee Attix of Loon Conservation Associates. Lee has been in this field for well over 25 years and was with the Biodiversity Research Institute when they first began banding loons on Little Sebago in 1997. Lee trains the Ranger team on distinct loon behaviors and on how to identify individual birds through their ID bands. He coordinates a team of biologists for banding expeditions

better sustain wake action. There are planter boxes at the sides for camouflage and they are fully contained on three sides and the top to offer better protection from predators. Where you see these rafts floating, please-please- please keep a respectful distance (200’ minimum in any kind of watercraft – motored or paddle). We want our territorial loon pairs to make this their home and they absolutely will not if we humans get too close. Seeing the Nesting Rafts or the Loon Sanctuary signs should be an extra reminder to minimize wake action anywhere in their vicinity. There is little we can do to prevent nest abandonments caused by mother nature or the natural environment, but there is something each and every one of us can do to protect and preserve these beloved creatures. It is our responsibility to observe at minimum a 200’ NO WAKE zone near any shoreline, including and especially the islands. Thanks for caring, and as always feel free to reach out to the rangers through our Little Sebago Loon Watch Facebook page should you see anything concerning or simply to share loon stories. Sharon Young, Program Coordinator Little Sebago Loon Monitoring & Conservation Phone & Text: 207-632-0075 Email: syoung0252@gmail.com

• Sixty-three percent of all the loons ever banded on Little Sebago Lake returned in 2021. If you discount the three banded chicks and just analyze the adult returns, 71% returned (17 of 25). Many of the loons who were not observed were banded prior to 2010. It’s logical that the loons banded in earlier years would be the first to not return. One older banded individual (the 2005 Horse Island male) continues to reside on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The return, long-term survival and breeding history of the banded 1997 Horse Island female remains a remarkable story. • The 2021 productivity of 0.10 CH/TP is the lowest in the last four years, and a second consecutive year for poor chick productivity (0.30 in 2020). Both years chick productivity is significantly below the established sustainable population threshold of 0.48 CH/TP. However, loon productivity is subject to significant year-to-year fluctuations, and one or two years is not necessarily indicative of longer-term trends. With four years of reliable data collected,

20

21