The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (ACLC) successfully rescued three iced-in loons on Paradox Lake on December 24th and 26th, 2024.
Initial calls to the Adirondack Loon Center came in on December 23rd to report one iced-in loon on Paradox Lake in Essex County, and two iced-in loons on nearby Brant Lake, in Northern Warren County.
When volunteers scouted the lakes later that day, they spotted four loons on Paradox Lake and two on Brant Lake. One loon on Brant Lake was observed taking flight and escaping the ice on its own, and the second loon had presumably flown away on its own by December 26th as there was no sign of predation.
On December 24th a rescue team of trained volunteers and ACLC staff gathered at Paradox Lake, where now only three loons remained. There was no evidence of predation of the fourth loon, so it is hoped that it, too, was able to fly away on its own.
The rescue team, led by retired forest ranger Dell Jeffrey, used both gill nets and hand-held nets to capture the trapped loons. Two were successfully netted on the 24th while the third loon continued to evade capture.
The first two loons were examined, measured, banded and then released on Lake Champlain where the open water would allow them to feed and take off to migrate to the coast for the winter.
On December 26th, the rescue team returned to Paradox Lake and was able to capture the third trapped loon, which was also safely released on Lake Champlain.
Loons need up to a quarter-mile of open water to take off. They can get trapped by ice when the temperatures drop quickly, causing lake water to ice over and reduce the area of open water available for taking flight.
Juvenile loons are especially at risk of getting iced-in because they may not yet have learned to migrate and may miss the cues that more experienced adult loons recognize.
Warmer winters and later ice-in dates due to climate change also alter migration patterns, which results in some loons staying behind in their summer nesting territories longer.
“Climate change is affecting when loons migrate or even if they migrate,” said Dr. Nina Schoch, ACLC Director of Conservation and Science.
“It is important to save the lives of individual loons – though they live 30 – 40 years, they are a slow-to-reproduce species. Ensuring that as many individuals as possible survive to breeding age will allow them to return to the Adirondacks each summer to contribute to the overall population.”
ACLC thanked Matt Massiano, Jim Bowen, Bob and Jane Klaus, Greta Heilman, and the Meltzer family for their assistance in monitoring the trapped loons and providing landowner access to Paradox and Brant Lakes.
If you see a loon that may be iced-in, call the Adirondack Loon Center at (518) 354-8636 or email info@adkloon.org. Be prepared to share your name, contact information, location of the iced-in loon(s), and any photographs or video you are able to take to help rescuers assess the situation.
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that conducts scientific research and engaging educational programming to promote and inspire passion for the conservation of Common Loons (Gavia immer) in and beyond New York’s Adirondack Park.
To learn more about the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation and its loon conservation efforts, visit www.adkloon.org. The Adirondack Loon Center at 75 Main in Saranac Lake is open during the winter on Tuesdays from 11 am – 5 pm and Wednesdays – Saturdays from 10 am – 5 pm.
Read more wildlife rescues from around New York State.
Photos from above, provided: Juvenile loon stranded on Paradox Lake; and Dell Jeffrey rescues a loon stranded at Paradox Lake.
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