Grounded Loon Rescue on Bradley Pond Road
Volunteers explain the situation to research biologist Griffin Archambault as the stranded loon rests along the roadside.
The first loon rescue call of the season came in to the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (ACLC) office on Wednesday, June 11: a loon had been found grounded on Bradley Pond Road in Clinton County, NY.
The grounded loon struggled over the bank and into a marshy puddle.
Research biologist Griffin Archambault drove out to the location to find several folks watching over the stranded loon until help could arrive. According to local community member Stephanie Varin, whose brother had initially called in the report and who had then taken over for him in watching over the loon until help arrived, the loon had been grounded on the yellow line and was making repeated distress calls. The self-appointed volunteers helped shoo the loon to the side of the road, where it could safely rest in the gravel until Griffin arrived.
Usually, Griffin said, he can walk right up to a road-stranded loon and pick it up. Not this time. The loon used its powerful legs and wings to propel itself down the road and eventually over the grassy bank. It landed in a shallow puddle, but even though it found water, it couldn’t be left there since it would not be able to take off again.
Kenny Varin helped research biologist Griffin Archambault finally capture the loon and safely secure it in a tub for transport.
Researchers don’t always know why loons land on roadways; sometimes loons suffering from the effects of lead poisoning or an underlying infection or disease might land on the road because they are too weak to continue their flight to water, or they may be injured. Other times, researchers like Griffin guess they may mistake wet pavement for open water. But sometimes, we just don’t know.
Landing on land anywhere is often a death sentence for a loon – loons can’t walk. Their legs have evolved to propel them through water and are positioned facing backwards on their bodies, not under them like a duck or a goose. They need about a quarter-mile of open water to land or take off. Coming to rest on pavement or dry land anywhere, then, means loons are stranded where they are. Unless the lake shore is so close they can shuffle to it awkwardly, they effectively can’t travel for any meaningful distance.
Stephanie Varin helps her father Kenny Varin hold the lid on the tub until Griffin Archambault can secure it. “Any living thing that needs help, he’ll be there,” Stephanie said about her father.
The loon in need of assistance on June 11th didn’t appear to be injured. In fact, it appeared to be quite vigorous in its efforts at not being caught.
“This is the Usain Bolt of loons!” Griffin exclaimed as he removed his shoes and prepared to climb down the bank and into the muddy marsh to retrieve the loon.
Eventually Griffin, with help from Stephanie’s father, Kenny Varin, was able to safely get the loon from the marshy puddle into a secure bin for transport. The bin is lined with towels and has air holes punched into it, keeping the loon snug and safe while being driven to Dr. Nina Schoch, ACLC Executive Director and Director of Science and Conservation, for evaluation.
Because it is unknown why the loon came down on the road, or where it was going, the loon can’t just be deposited into the closest body of water. For one, if the nearest lake or pond already has resident loons, this could provoke a fight over territory. ACLC recently posted a video showing how intense territorial interactions can be and, while fighting over territory is completely natural for loons, we don’t want to provoke a fight, especially with a distressed bird that likely needs time to recover.
At Dr. Schoch’s home, the loon is evaluated for injuries and blood and feather samples are collected to test for levels of mercury and lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle. The loon’s legs and beak are measured and it is weighed by wrapping it securely in a mesh sack and attaching it to a hook on a hand-held scale. By its weight, Dr. Schoch thinks it must be a male, though without more intrusive tests, it is hard to know for certain. Then the loon is banded so that it can be tracked through ACLC’s monitoring programs.
Because this loon didn’t have any injuries other than some road rash on its feet from landing on pavement, it was released later in the evening on a body of water where there are no resident loons and where it can eat and recover from its ordeal.
Dr. Nina Schoch and research biologist Griffin Archambault measure the loon’s bill while ACLC staff member Brendan Gruber holds the loon securely.
Dr. Nina Schoch checks the loon’s eyes.
The loon is banded with a unique combination of colored bands. ACLC lake monitors and researchers will be able to identify this loon if they see it again.
ACLC staff members Griffin Archambault and Brendan Gruber release the loon back onto a lake where it can eat and recover. Photo by Nina Schoch.
Thank you to everyone who sees a loon in distress and contacts the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation for assistance. If you see a loon on or near a roadway, you can assume it is a loon in distress and call the ACLC office at 518-354-8636 or email us at info@adkloon.org. Please always include your name and contact information, the location of the loon, and, if possible, include a photo or a video of the loon in distress to help us evaluate the situation more promptly.
Denise Silfee, ACLC Education & Communications Director