What You Can Do For Loons

Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Statewide Information Officer

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Loons are best enjoyed from a distance when their eerie calls echo across the glassy, evening waters of lakes in northwestern Montana. They enhance the very solitude so many outdoorsmen and women seek. In fact, loons require that solitude from spring into fall to successfully breed and raise their young. Of the 65 pairs that attempt to nest in Montana, only about 30 pairs successfully hatch and raise 1-2 chicks each year

To help ensure "Montana’s" loons have the solitude they need, please:

*        Avoid disturbing loons by watching for loon nesting sanctuary signs.

*        Remember that loon chicks need to ride on their parent’s backs to stay dry, warm and safe. If the adults are disturbed the chicks may become separated from them and suffer from exposure or predation.

*        Keep in mind when using personal watercraft that young chicks are too buoyant to dive quickly to get out of the way. They can be run over.

*        Be aware that the presence of watercraft will cause chicks to keep swimming instead of feeding and resting. This weakens them quickly and may prevent their survival.

*        When using a canoe, take care not to slip into nesting areas. A canoe can startle an adult loon off its nest. The eggs could be knocked into the water and be vulnerable to predators, or the adult could abandon the nest.

*        Remember that a loon could leave its nest if a boat or canoe comes within one and one-half football fields of the nest!

*        Listen for and immediately heed a loon’s distress call by moving away. It sounds like a loud laugh.

For more information, or to become actively involved in a loon project, contact the Montana Loon Society, 6525 Rocky Point Road, Polson, MT 59850-6949.