"The group said it estimated a population for the southern half of Maine of 3,174 adult loons and 568 chicks. Audubon bases its count on the southern portion of Maine because there are enough bird counters to get a reliable number. The count is more than twice the number when they started counting in 1983, and the count of adults has increased 13% from 10 years ago."
""We're cautiously optimistic after seeing two years of growing chick numbers," said Maine Audubon wildlife ecologist Tracy Hart. "But it will take several more years before we know if that is a real upward trend, or just two really good years." Maine lawmakers have attempted to grow the population of the loons with bans on lead fishing tackle that the birds sometimes accidentally swallow. Laws that limit boat speeds have also helped because they prevent boat wakes from washing out nests, conservation groups say."
Maine hosts the East Coast's largest common loon population, with an estimated 3,174 adult loons and 568 chicks in the southern half. The surveyed count is more than double the number recorded in 1983, and adult numbers have risen 13% over the past decade. Conservation measures such as bans on lead fishing tackle and laws limiting boat speeds have reduced key threats like lead ingestion and nest washouts. Two consecutive years of higher chick numbers have prompted cautious optimism, but several more years of monitoring are needed to determine whether the increase represents a sustained recovery. Other New England states combine for about 1,000 adults; Minnesota has about 12,000.
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