WCSH-TV6 • June 30, 2021
For nearly four decades, Maine Audubon has been studying threats to loons and engaging volunteers across Maine in conservation efforts. One of the group's most powerful and popular tools is the annual loon count, scheduled this year for Saturday, July 17, from 7 to 7:30 a.m. Traditionally, on the third Saturday of July, participants head out in skiffs, kayaks, and pontoon boats to tally the common loons they see on more than 300 lakes across the state. Last year, even with the pandemic, Maine Audubon said 1,347 volunteers of all ages and 48 regional coordinators were able to safely carry on the tradition. Since the loon count’s inception in 1983, the number of adult loons in the southern half of the state has essentially doubled, from an initial estimate of fewer than 1,500 to nearly 3,000 in 2020.