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In the summers of
2003 and 2004, ACLP collaborated with
Kevin Kenow, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to
equip Adirondack loons with
satellite transmitters to record the birds’ southerly migrations.
Additional
birds in New Hampshire were also outfitted with transmitters by Kevin
Kenow and staff from BioDiversity Research Institute and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife
Service.
Information about the seasonal migratory patterns and habitat selection
obtained from these
implanted New York and New Hampshire loons will greatly increase our
knowledge about Common Loon year-round habitat use and requirements. The
 identification
of migration routes, staging areas, and wintering grounds important to
loons that summer in the Adirondacks and the
Northeast is
valuable for the development of statewide, regional, and national loon
conservation strategies.
This study will
complement research conducted by the
U.S. Geological Survey in the Midwest to determine migration, staging,
and wintering
areas significant to North American loon populations. Through this
research project, the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program will contribute
to a broader understanding of the year-round distribution of Northeastern
loon populations, and provide
information to better assess the impact of
factors (e.g.: oil spills, botulism, environmental contamination)
affecting loons throughout their range.
This
project is funded in part by the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation, including federal funding from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grants Program, grants from the New
York State Biodiversity Research Institute and the G.E. Foundation to the
Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, and the US Geological Survey.
The Wildlife Conservation
Society’s field veterinary staff provided assistance with transmitter
implantation.
Satellite transmitters were manufactured for this project by
Microwave Telemetry, Inc.
Migration Humor by Mark
Wilson |
