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   Human activity is the leading causes of injury and death for the Common Loon.  With the loon population showing a decline, the loss of just one loon is too many. Loons are not like other waterfowls who have larger broods of chicks. A loon pair will only have one to two chicks per year, and rarely do both chicks survive. 

   Last year Minnesota Loon Rescue responded to 58 loon rescues including orphaned chicks, boat strikes, fishing line entanglement with jigs and lures, and lead poisoning from fishing tackle. During the disorienting explosions of light and noise from 4th of July fireworks, very young chicks often get separated from their parents and struck by a boat. 

   One of the most preventable causes of loon deaths is lead fishing tackle.  Loons can swallow small lead jigs or sinkers while feeding, mistaking them for small stones used in digestion. Even a tiny piece of lead will poison and kill a loon in one to two weeks. 

   The solution is straightforward: switch to lead-free tackle. Before rigging up your fishing pole this season, clean out your tackle box. Dispose of lead jigs and sinkers responsibly, and consider alternatives like tungsten, steel, or tin.  Many anglers report that tungsten works better, especially with sonar, as it’s easier to detect than lead. The added cost is minimal compared to other fishing gear and licenses.  

   For a list of lead-free products, go to  https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/where-to-buy-lead-free-tackle  

   Cabin owners and lake visitors can also help protect loons by being mindful during recreational activities and being loon-aware when fishing and boating. 

   As soon as the lake ice melts away and open water appears, we will hear and see our first loons coming back. The males are the first to arrive, looking for a spot to build a nest protected from waves and hidden by vegetation. When the female arrives, the pair will build a nest and protect their territory.   After eggs are laid, the male and female loons will share in the duties to protect the eggs, keeping them warm and turning them often. Incubation lasts for an average of 27 days. Once this black puff ball loon chick hatches, it will slide off the nest into water within 24 hours and will rarely return to the nest. If there is a second egg, it will hatch within 24 hours after the first chick. 

   Depending on when the ice goes out on the Woman Lake chain, we usually have loons sitting on their first egg by fishing opener - May 9, this year. 

   If you see a loon from May to July, chances are there is a nest nearby. When one adult loon is on the nest, the other is close by keeping watch.  

   1. Keep your distance. Observe loons from far away using binoculars, especially when they are on their nest, which is typically right at the water’s edge. 

   2. Watch for warning signs; If a loon is in a “hunkered position (head low to the ground) or giving a tremolo” call you are too close and should back away immediately. 

   3. Obey no-wake laws within 200 feet of shorelines to prevent boat wakes from flooding nests. 

   4. Give loons their space. Please stay at least 150 feet away.  They need solitude to breed and raise their young. Approaching too closely can cause adult loons to leave the nests, causing chilling of the eggs and nest failure.

   5. Fishing boats, canoes, and kayaks may startle loons off the nest. 

   6. When fishing, do not cast toward the nesting loon. This could cause the loon to abandon the nest.

   If you see a loon from mid-June to September, one or two chicks will likely be close by.  Loon chicks are extremely vulnerable until they are strong enough to fledge and fly south (late October through November) 

   1. Observe loons and their young from 150 ft away.  Allow the adult loons to feed their young so they can become strong and healthy. 

   2. Personal watercraft and boats pulling wakeboards, skiers and tubers may run over chicks and the adult loon.   Never separate the adult loons from their chicks. Please look ahead, Slow down. Go around! 

   3. When fishing, if a loon enters the area, pull in your lines, and wait for it to pass. Or if the loon lingers, move to another location. Lures, fishing line, hooks, and especially, lead jigs and weights, can be a death sentence. 

   4. Chicks tire easily! The presence of watercraft causes chicks to keep swimming. 

   5. Loon parents frequently move their chicks away from the nesting environment out into deeper water. Young chicks can’t dive, making them vulnerable to being injured or killed by watercraft. So, be aware!

   6. Make the switch to Lead-free tackle! 

   We can’t save loon eggs and chicks from natural predators, such as eagles, northern pike, turtles, but we can do our part by being Loon Aware!    

   If you observe a Loon or Loon chick in trouble, Call LOON RESCUE HOTLINE   855-552-1500.   A loon beached on shore is a sick or injured loon and should never be returned to the water. Loons that are beached on shore, injured, hooked or entangled in fishing line, and orphaned chicks need to be rescued by a trained loon rescue volunteer.  To prevent injury to yourself or to the loon, do not attempt to rescue.  Observe the loon carefully and use binoculars. Take photos and video of the loon. For more information on MN Loon Rescue visit their website at www.MNloonrescue.org or follow on Facebook, Minnesota Loon Rescue. 

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