PERU — Maine’s annual loon count will take place Saturday at hundreds of lakes and ponds statewide.
This is the 28th year that a statewide count has been made. Sponsored by the Maine Audubon Society, it provides a half-hour snapshot of the loon population.
Each year, hundreds of volunteers take to Maine’s lakes and ponds between 7 and 7:30 a.m. to make the count.
Information gathered by the hundreds of volunteers helps scientists to determine whether nesting loons can successfully sustain their population year to year.
A loon productivity study on the loon chicks counted will continue this year. Loon chicks that are found Saturday will be monitored to see if they survive and make it to adulthood. If it is found loons are disappearing, efforts will be made to determine the cause.
The Maine Audubon Society is no longer seeking volunteers for Saturday’s study. However, if you wish to take part in the 2012 volunteer loon count, contact Susan Gallo, Loon Project director, at 781-233- ext. 216.
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