Wildlife

Loons

Loons are perhaps the most recognized icon of the Adirondack landscape. They are excellent swimmers and have an eerie, yodel-like call, which can be heard echoing across the region's many lakes. Like moose and several boreal birds, loons are a northern species approaching the southern edge of their range in northern New York

Our Strategies

WCS aims to find innovative solutions to the problems facing loons and prevent population decline.

The Adirondack Park is the heart of the breeding loon population in the state; the current summer loon population for the Adirondacks is estimated at 600-850 pairs. Research suggests that the loon population has been gradually increasing in size and expanding its range in the region, but overall productivity appears to have slowed. This could indicate that the population may be near carrying capacity, meaning the greatest number of loons our lakes could be expected to hold.

WCS conducts the annual Adirondack Loon Census across northern New York State (noted above). Held each July since 2001, in conjunction with other censuses across the northeast, our loon census regularly engages 500-600 volunteers who scout loons on more than 200 lakes. This glimpse of the annual status of the breeding loon population is critical to guiding management decisions and policies that affect loons.