The Loon Lady

10/23/2026

Minnesota juvenile loons typically
migrate to the Gulf of Mexico right before ice in, and they head directly to the Gulf of Mexico. This is a fascinating and informative post from LPC about the challenges juvenile loons face as they migrate and spend the next 2 or 3 years in the Gulf.

In our post last Monday, we mentioned that according to one analysis, a juvenile loon that fledges off of its natal lake has about a 53% chance of surviving to adulthood. Why don’t they all make it?

The world can be a dangerous and unforgiving place, especially for a young loon on its own for the first time. First, they have to manage the energetic costs of migration—sadly, not all survive the trip from their lakes to their wintering grounds. Those that make it to the ocean encounter a new and unfamiliar world, filled with prey species that they have no experience catching (like lobster and crab) and predator species that they have no experience evading (like sharks and seals). Without their parents to show them the ropes, they have to quickly learn where to forage and how to evade these new predators. And a recent study has suggested that carry-over effects resulting from the environmental conditions they experienced on their lakes during development can also influence their survival—those juvenile loons that were raised on lower quality territories may start off in worse shape than others, which can reduce their chance of survival. In some loon populations, the rate of survival to adulthood appears to be in decline.

Generally, loons will remain on the ocean until they reach adulthood at age three (though this is not always the case—each year here in New Hampshire, we tend to document the presence of 5-10 immature loons on our lakes during the breeding season). Those that survive to age three will return to inland lakes in the spring and begin to look for a breeding territory of their own.

Our thoughts are with this year’s loon chicks, many which are now capable of flight and will be undertaking their first migration in the coming weeks. We wish them success in their travels, and we are rooting for them to quickly adapt to life on the ocean so that they can survive and make it back to our lakes in a few years!

Check the comments for a link to the referenced study!

10/23/2026

Birds Canada is sounding the alarm…the common loon population is declining! The alarm is ringing loudly in Minnesota and Wisconsin where Dr. Walter Piper has also documented the decline.
The leading causes of loon deaths are human caused. With the population in decline, we can’t afford to lose loons to preventable human caused injuries - lead poisoning, hooking and fishing line entanglement, and boat and jet ski strikes! You can help protect loons by fishing loon safe! Fish with lead free tackle and reel in when loons are near. When boating and jet skiing, watch ahead, slow down, and go far around loons.
Call MN Loon Rescue for help if you see a sick or injured loon.
855 552-1500

10/17/2026

Loons have started migrating to their wintering areas. They sometimes mistake wet pavement for water or land in a field with very shallow water. If you see a loon on pavement or the ground, call Minnesota Loon Rescue for help at 855 552-1500. Loons can’t take off from land and are stranded. Do NOT put them in a lake or body of water as they may have internal injuries. Grounded loons need rescue!

𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦. 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗢𝗧.

It looks like an injured bird.

A large, dark waterbird sits helplessly on wet pavement in October.

Its wings are intact.

Its eyes are open.

There is no obvious blood.

But when it tries to move, something seems terribly wrong.

The bird cannot simply stand up and walk away.

And no matter how much open sky surrounds it, it cannot launch itself back into the air.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱.

It is a Common Loon.

One of North America's most extraordinary diving birds.

On a lake, a loon is magnificent.

It can disappear beneath the surface, chase fish underwater, and travel through the water with remarkable speed and precision.

Its legs are positioned far back on its body, giving it powerful propulsion for swimming.

Its bones are unusually dense for a flying bird, reducing buoyancy and helping it dive.

Almost everything about its body has been shaped by life in water.

But those remarkable adaptations come with a cost.

𝗢𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲.

A loon cannot walk normally like a duck.

Its legs are positioned too far back for comfortable movement on land.

And unlike most familiar backyard birds, it cannot simply spring upward and fly away.

A Common Loon needs a substantial stretch of open water to take flight.

It must run across the surface, beating its wings and building speed until it finally becomes airborne.

That is where October creates a danger few people recognize.

Across the northern United States, loons begin leaving their breeding lakes during autumn migration.

They travel toward larger lakes, coastal waters, and wintering areas.

But during these flights, a strange mistake sometimes happens.

From above, wet pavement can resemble a body of water.

A rain-darkened road.

An empty parking lot.

A broad surface reflecting the sky.

A migrating loon may descend toward that reflection, believing it has found somewhere to land.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.

No long surface across which to run.

No way to swim.

No ordinary way to become airborne again.

The bird may sit there, unable to escape, even though it is otherwise capable of flying.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology confirms that migrating loons sometimes become stranded after mistaking wet roads or parking lots for lakes and rivers.

The Loon Preservation Committee has documented the same problem and warns that a stranded loon needs professional assistance.

And that is what makes this situation so heartbreaking.

A bird capable of traveling across enormous stretches of North America can become trapped in the middle of an ordinary human landscape.

Not because it forgot how to fly.

Not because its wings stopped working.

But because it landed somewhere its body was never designed to leave.

If you encounter a loon sitting on a road, parking lot, lawn, or other dry area this autumn, do not assume it is resting.

And do not try to make it fly by chasing it.

Loons have powerful bills, and handling or releasing one incorrectly can injure both the bird and the person attempting to help.

Keep people and pets at a safe distance.

Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or local wildlife authority experienced with waterbirds.

Do not attempt to transport or release it yourself without professional guidance.

Because the bird may not need encouragement.

It may need someone who understands exactly why it cannot escape.

That is the cruel contradiction of the Common Loon.

In water, its body is an engineering masterpiece.

On pavement, those same adaptations can leave it helpless.

𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗡𝗧.

𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥, 𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗.

10/12/2026

10/11/26: Another Hooked Juvenile Loon
After being away for 8 days, I was eager to check on "our loons" on Upper Gull and Gull Lakes. Terri W. and I headed out in the kayaks, and we were so happy when we found two juveniles on Gull Lake, and Indy, the Upper Gull Lk juvie. He was still with his banded mom Tiny. Indy was very active! He was begging to be fed, and was diving well and fishing. I took a few photos and enlarged them on my computer last night. I was surprised to see that he was hooked in the back of the head!! The brown hook had blended in with his feathers and was hard to see from a distance. He does not appear to be entangled. Minnesota Loon Rescue volunteers will try to capture him and remove the hook. He is a good diver, so this will likely be a difficult capture.
Anglers: Please reel in when loons are near, do not cast towards loons, and always use lead free tackle.

10/11/2026

10/11/26 After a great trip to the Gunflint Trail, we were back on Gull Lake and Upper Gull Lake in search of juvenile loons. We found two juveniles on the north end of Gull Lake and Indy and parent on Upper Gull fishing together. Indy is 13 weeks old and is fully capable of fishing and feeding himself, but we observed Indy begging a lot! We saw him catch his own fish and also saw his parent feed him a fish. I need to check my photos to get bands on the adult, but my guess is that the adult is mom Tiny. Tiny has done an excellent job raising Indy in a very challenging environment where the risk of a boat strike is very high.

10/03/2026

PLEASE SHARE Fall is the season for hooked and entangled juvenile loons! Over the past 2 days Minnesota Loon Rescue rescued 2 hooked and entangled juvenile loons. How many more will be hooked during the fall fishing season? Hooked loons are usually dead loons. These two young loons were lucky to be rescued before their entanglement killed them.

Loon parents migrate ahead of juveniles who remain on the lake until shortly before ice in. Juveniles are now on their own and fishing independently for the first time. They are curious and approach fishing boats. Loons are visual predators and will strike on your tackle. Accidents happen, but hooking loons can be prevented! Be loon aware. Watch for loons while fishing. Never cast towards loons. Reel in when loons are near and wait for them to leave, or switch spots. Hooking/fishing line entanglement, lead poisoning, and boat strikes are the leading causes of loon deaths! Our Minnesota loon population is declining. We can't afford to lose our future breeding population to human caused injuries. By fishing and boating loon-safe you can protect our loon population!

If you hook a loon or see a hooked entangled loon, or a loon in distress, please call Minnesota Loon Rescue ASAP! We will help.
855-552-1500
mnloonrescue.org

10/02/2026

9/30/26 Photos of rescue and report by Sharon Gibbons, and photo of loon before rescue by Jeremy
Johnson
Another Minnesota Loon Rescue with a happy ending!

Jeremy was kayaking on Dade Lake and observed a juvenile loon with a hook in its neck and entangled in fishing line. Hooking and fishing line entanglement is a leading cause of loon deaths. Loon parents migrate ahead of their young. During the fall juvenile loons are at risk of getting hooked as they are fishing on their own for the first time. Hooked loons are usually dead loons because they are very difficult to capture. The more quickly they are found, the better!
Fortunately, Jeremy captured photos and video of the entangled loon and called Minnesota Loon Rescue for help right away! Intake volunteer Mickey quickly passed the info to the rescue team.

The team was assembled, and included Terri, Richard, and Sharon. Because the loon could dive it was necessary to do the rescue under the cover of darkness. Dade Lake is a small isolated lake to the east of the much larger Sylvan Lake in the City of East Gull Lake, but it has its own gravel road down to an unimproved boat launch. The team met at a little after 7:15 pm and got everything ready, and then launched the boat.
Jeremy was out in his kayak, staying close to and watching the juvenile as it slowly moved around the east side of the lake in the early evening. After launching their boat, the team went straight over to the kayak where Jeremy pointed out the loon. It was starting to get very dark, so it was a little difficult to keep watching the loon. It was moving very slowly and did not appear to be in any distress. The water was very flat and there was almost no wind so it was great conditions to try to retrieve the loon.
At about 7:50, it was dark enough to try to approach the loon. Using the high intensity spotlights, the loon was located. Keeping the spotlight on the loon and pointed directly at its eyes gives the team a little bit of camouflage. There was a first approach, but the loon dove right under the bow of the boat at the last minute. It emerged about 25 feet beyond the boat fairly quickly, but again was very calm. Richard drives the rescue boat with tremendous skill and finesse. With Richard at the wheel, Sharon spotlighting the loon, and Terri in position with the net, the team was ready for a second attempt at netting the loon. The boat was turned around and a second approach was made. This one was successful as Terri skillfully was able to capture it in the net.
Sitting on the front bench of the boat, Terri and Richard tried to get the loon extracted from the net. But part of the fish line, hook and sinker were tangled in the net.
Terri cradled the loon in towels and held it for a bit. Once the group got closer to shore, they were able to cut the tangle of fish line away from the net and place the loon into a capture bin.

8:15 - Arriving back at the shore area where the boat was launched, the bin was removed and placed on the shore next to towels on the beach. This was all, of course, in the complete darkness, so holding the spotlights along with the two rescuers who also had headlamps provided the light to see clearly for the removal. Richard held on to the head and beak of the loon. Terri was holding the body and keeping the wings tight so that there was no possible wing injury. Then they both maneuvered to untangle the line and cut it off. Luckily, the hook itself only got slightly embedded in the feathers, but not the skin. So there was no need for even an antiseptic treatment. The line was wrapped around the loon’s neck, over its back, and down its leg where a spinner and beads, and a 3/8 lead sinker were attached to the loon’s foot in a mass of tangled line.

Once the loon was untangled and thoroughly checked for injury it was time to release the loon back into the shallow water on the edge of the launch area. Terri gently placed it back in the lake. The team watched it move through the area with some lily pads and then into the open water where it did a full wing flap. With the aid of their spotlights they
continued to watch until it got a good distance away. To be on the safe side, the team went back out in the boat to make sure that the loon
continued to work its way to the other side of the bay. Within a few minutes of being in the boat, they could clearly see it was moving freely and it did yet another wing flap.

It was a perfect result! The next day Jeremy was back in his kayak monitoring the loon. He named it Remy. It was foraging and preening and Remy looked like a very happy loon! We are very thankful
to Jeremy for being so observant, calling MN Loon Rescue with his concerns, and for monitoring the loon before and after rescue.

Please fish loon-safe! Please do not cast towards loons! Reel in when they are near or switch spots. Keep broken line out of the water, and use lead-free tackle. Thanks to Jeremy and the rescue team, this juvenile loon is back on the water building its strength for its first migration!

When we save one loon, we save future generations of loons! Loon rescue should be done by trained rescuers. Please call Minnesota Loon Rescue if you see a loon in distress.
855 552-1500

09/29/2026

9/28/26: Look who was practicing take offs today! This is Joan, the Gull Lake west shore juvenile loon. She was banded by Dr. Walter Piper and is part of The Loon Project research study. She is 11 weeks old. Juvenile loons are considered fledged at about 12 weeks. At this age juveniles practice take offs and take short flights to strengthen their wings before the long flight to the Gulf. Joan's parent is still with her. Usually one loon parent will remain into the fall with the chick. Loon parents typically migrate a month or more before juvenile loons, but some loon parents will linger with their chick well into November on our Minnesota lake. The late staying parent migrates before the juvenile who remains on the lake until shortly before ice in.

09/27/2026

More interesting info on molting loons from the Loon Preservation Committee!

The Loon Preservation Committee’s mission is to restore and maintain a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; to monitor the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and to promote a greater understanding of loons and the larger natural worl...