Loon Rescue

[CAPTJJ]

What a day on the ice today, had two guys up from NYC that couldn't get out last year; they were happy and caught a bunch a lakers but the highlight was the loons. I had been hearing loon calls lately, thought I was going crazy or someone out there could do a good imitation. Around 11am I saw something moving across the ice, looked like a bird struggling, drove the ATV over and it was a young loon. I called my friend to try and get in touch with DEC or a wildlife rehabilitator(it was bleeding a little), one lives nearby; nobody was available. At this point I thought it was a single loon that was injured, never seen one in winter.

Next thing I heard another call, turned around and saw a different one coming, an adult a few hundred yards away. I drove to that one and saw the open water hole with 3 more loons swimming, it was only a couple hundred yards back to the water and I figured I should get this one back in the water first, then deal with the other one. It struggled and even attacked me a few times(seriously, and they have large, sharp beaks ), with webbed feet slipping and using it's wings to help "walk", but it finally got back to the others.

Juvenile:


Adult:

[30-30]

           Good job JJ, I hope they survive!

[Raquettedacker]

Wow JJ thats crazy..  Why are they back so early??  Loons need a lot of water to take off...    And yes they bite hard...  Hooked one a few years ago and after removing the hook and the little sone of a gun turned and bee bit my inner forarm and left a bruse that lasted 3 weeks...........   Love those guys.. 

[CAPTJJ]

Now I have to figure out what to do with the first one, it's getting farther away, 20 yds from a guys shanty and he didn't notice it till I pulled up and told him. I hooked up my Jet Sled and hoped it would ride nicely on the back. It was tough trying to get it in there with getting bitten, but each time it flopped back out. Luckily I had a Jet Sled Jr, too; went back and got it, it fit inside the other sled and would cover the bird, now almost a mile from the open water. I was getting more daring at this point and I think it knew I was trying to help; I gently tossed it in and covered it right away and the loon calmed down enough for the ride back.
 








Checked them later :

[chuckrudy]

great story and wonderful pictures

[peddler]

Nice job JJ !

Peddler 

[Raquettedacker]

Great job, but I still dont think they have enough water to take off...   

[CAPTJJ]

Definitely not, I think the little one tried to take off; there was a big hole in the ice in that area when the lake first froze. They were diving down and there are smelt around but can they get enough to eat right there? Thinking about bringing minnows out tomorrow, and I'll be calling a DEC biologist Monday.

They are definitely way out of their winter range, looks like a lot of them go all the way to the Gulf of Mexico: http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

[Raquettedacker]

We were in South Carolina years ago and woke up to an ice storm...   Several of them landed in the frozen parking lot thinking it was open water...   Dad called the troopers and they got a hold of SC DEC...  We had to get on the road so I have no Idea what happened...

[bucksnort]

i think we might have been pretty close to each other i was hearing loons going nuts all morning,my buddies and even joked about going to try to save them if they were in trouble like we did with the dove we found froze to the ice a few weeks ago,we could hear them but did not see them,wtg jj helping out the wildlife

[upstatehunter]

Thumbs up to you JJ.....funny...you never see supposed friends of animals out helping like that...it's mostly sportsman and women....Hope they survive.....

[Green Mountian Hunter]

 


       Awesome job JJ ; Thought they went south for the winter

[hunts2long]

Nice job and great pictures....hunts2long

[drobertsinMaryland]

Sweet deal CaptJJ!

[CAPTJJ]

Thanks everyone, no better feeling than saving a life.

Trying to get in touch with someone that knows what, if anything, can be done; talked to several people from DEC and left a message with the head of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, a wildlife veterinarian. Gonna go check on them soon, DEC is supposed to send someone.