Since 1983, from 7:00 to 7:30 AM on the third Saturday of July, over 1,000 volunteers have set out on over 500 Maine lakes and ponds for the annual loon count under the auspices of the Maine Audubon Society. The citizen scientists’ observations provide an excellent “snapshot” of Maine’s loon population, and data to estimate the statewide loon population over time.
The estimated population of adult loons for the southern half of Maine (south of the 45th parallel) was consistent from 2015-2017 at about 2,600, then jumped to almost 3,300 in 2018, which is close to the highest estimate since 2004. The estimated number of loon chicks for the southern half of Maine increased from roughly 200 in 2015 to roughly 450 in 2017, and was approximately 400 in 2018. (Source: Sally Stockwell, Results of the 2018 Loon Count, 29-Nov-2018 (page viewed 12-Dec-2019).
Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond Loon Counts
| Year | Pleasant Lake | Parker Pond | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Chicks | Adults | Chicks | |
| 2010 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 5 | no count | no count | |
| 2012 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2013 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2015 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2016 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2017 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 1 | no count | |
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | no count | no count |
| 2020 | 10 | 2 | 1 |