Maine is home to some amazing wildlife. Moose and lobsters and black bears…oh my!
One of the lesser-known animals living in the Pine Tree State is the loon. Now, the loon is a strange animal. It’s like a duck, but it’s not. In fact, loons are one of the oldest species of flying birds still living.
Loons can be found on license plates, t-shirts, and even socks (just go to Urban Outfitters in Portland, you’re bound to find some there). However, the most popular place to see a lone is in one of many lakes and ponds in Maine. Enter the Maine Loon Project. Its mission has two components: raise awareness and protect the Common Loon, and survey the population of loons in Maine’s lakes and ponds.
One Saturday in July each year, over 900 volunteers arise early and flock to lakes and ponds in order to count the population of loons. You may think loon counting is an easy task. It’s not. Not only do these volunteers have to count loons, they must count the number of adults and chicks.
During my summers, I have had the privilege to see quite a few loons. Here’s one that I saw three summers ago.
A Maine loon on Crescent Lake, in the Sebago Lakes region of Sourhern Maine.
For more information on loons, check out the links below.
http://www.gma.org/tidings/loon.html