Will you join us?
On the morning of the third Saturday of July each year, over 1,000 volunteers venture onto lakes and ponds across the state to count loons. The observations recorded by our citizen scientist volunteers provide an excellent “snapshot” of Maine’s loon population.
The 2019 Loon Count will take place on Saturday, July 20, 2019. Contact us at conserve@maineaudubon.org to learn more about getting involved.
Results of the Loon Count
Following the 2018 count, Maine Audubon estimated a population of 3,269 adult Common Loons and 406 chicks for the southern half of Maine. (Each year, our estimate is for Maine south of the 45th parallel — roughly south of a line from Rangeley to Calais — which is the area where we have enough lakes covered by counters to make a reliable estimate.)
Full results of the 2018 Loon Count
Over 35 years, citizen scientists have helped us collect invaluable data to chart the status of our loon population over time. Open this interactive map to review Loon Count results on lakes across Maine from 1983 through 2017.