By Ava Rohleder, Community Outreach Intern, National Loon Center The National Loon Center received a call on June 21st from a caring Minnesotan in Walker, MN who found a Common Loon “resting” on a Leech Lake shoreline. After observing the bird for several hours, Chip Leer determined that something was…

By Ava Rohleder, Community Outreach Intern, National Loon Center A big weekend for our lake country waters is approaching: The 4th of July. This federal holiday prompts folks to get together with friends and family to spend time playing cards in cabins, by the shore circled around a bonfire, and…

By Emma Weber, National Loon Center & Loon Project Research Intern As summer begins, many of the loon pairs in our study area can be seen with chicks riding on their backs or trailing them in the water. This week, I checked some territories on the Whitefish Chain with Emily…

By Natasha Bartolotta, Communications and Outreach Coordinator The National Loon Center began a long-term research study of the Minnesota common loon population in 2021. You too can contribute to loon research by documenting loon sightings in your “backyard” through community science projects. In fact, April is Citizen Science Month! As…

By Natasha Bartolotta, Communications and Outreach Coordinator Just like us, the love lives of common loons are…complicated. Navigating the muddy waters of finding a mate is something all loons must tackle head on. But many loons do eventually find success and return to our lakes year after year to raise…

By Natasha Bartolotta, Communications and Outreach Coordinator Time seems to slow in those serene summer moments spent watching a pair of loons tend to their young. One can almost imagine the long life of a loon is made up of countless tranquil days like this on the lake waters.

By Natasha Bartolotta, National Loon Center The National Loon Center arose as an ambitious idea proposed by citizens of Crosslake, Minnesota in 2016. In the formative years since, our founders and board of directors have worked passionately to move the vision for a world-class educational facility toward reality. With the…

TO RESCUE A LOON By Natasha Bartolotta, National Loon Center The end of another week at The Nest turned quite eventful with news of a loon in need of rescue. The Friday morning of December 10, the National Loon Center received a concerned call from a local wildlife photographer about what appeared to be…

By Dr. Walter Piper, Scientist, National Loon Center Much has changed in the past half-century. A half-century ago I was a young boy who fell asleep each summer night hearing loon calls echo across the surface of Lake Temagami, in central Ontario. …