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THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, February 11, 2010
“WH e R e do lo o n s go in tH e Wi n t e R ?”
by Andrea lamoreaux
because they feel like
NH Lakes Education Director
it, but rather, because
If you are one of those they have to. Loons are
hearty New England- heavy birds with very
ers who stayed in New large feet and, like an
Hampshire this winter airplane, they need long
and didn’t flock south runways to take-off.
to a tropical locale like Loons run awkwardly
some other folks I know, across the water sur-
you may be wondering, face for approximately a
“Well, where do the loons quarter of a mile to pick
go in winter—do they go up speed before being
south, too?” able to take fight—if
Common Loons, with the lake is covered with
their characteristic black ice, they can’t run for
and white “checkered” lift-off and they become
back and wings, black trapped and eventu-
head, white “necklace” ally perish. Loons don’t
around their throat, and leave New Hampshire in
red eyes, have left New search of tropical wa-
Hampshire for the win- ters down south where
ter. But they haven’t the lakes don’t freeze
gone far—and they cer- because these waters
tainly aren’t basking in are too dangerous—alli-
the sun in some exotic gators and waterbodies
and warm vacation para-
A Common Loon with its young chick as passenger. The loons have now migrated south to
that are too warm or too
dise. warmer climates along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Rhode Island. shallow for diving and
Photo courtesy oF the LooN PreserVAtIoN coMMIttee / WWW.LooN.orG. hunting create big prob-
Loons Migrate For lems for these birds.
The Winter ervation Committee have spending the winter off the that biologists still don’t The adult loons gener-
Banding and satellite discovered that loons escape coast of the Atlantic Ocean know about loon migration, ally migrate first in large
tracking studies con- the freezing of New Hamp- from Maine to Rhode Is- they do know that loons groups, usually two or
ducted by the Loon Pres- shire’s lakes and ponds by land. While there is a lot don’t leave New Hampshire
See lOOns on 34
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