Homepage Featured
Concerns about the Great Lakes increase, while Ontario loons decrease
|
Ontario loons are declining, with fewer chicks being born, according to a new study that took four decades and hundreds of researchers.
Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/loons/)
Ontario loons are declining, with fewer chicks being born, according to a new study that took four decades and hundreds of researchers.
Tracking how they drift could lead to the source of what’s killing them. Increasing algae growth may be implicated.
Cold weather meant they hatched late and migrated early, but tagged birds show strong survival.
Last month Echo reported that Great Lakes migratory birds are threatened by the Gulf oil spill. Regional bird expert Francie Cuthbert, a University of Minnesota professor, was busy with fieldwork when we tried to reach her then. But she got back with us for this update:
Female Great Lakes piping plovers will head south for the winter ahead of the males in a couple weeks. Since nothing is cleaned up, they will almost certainly be affected by the spill, Cuthbert says. She expects only a small percentage of plovers that come in contact with the oil to survive.