Good afternoon LSC,

With the recent sighting of the 'Loon Ranger' back at the lake, and lake photographer extraordinaire Karen Velsor's wonderful short story about him on Facebook, we wanted to share some recent conversations we've had with Eric Hanson from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) about what to expect this season, and some other loon related news.

Quick note: a single loon that has been visiting the lake the past few years has been dubbed the 'Loon Ranger' on Facebook, and that name has stuck. Karen's short story imagine's his thoughts as he arrives back at the lake.

As they did last year, Eric expects our nesting pair to come back to the lake and attempt to nest again. However, Eric cautioned that: "It can take a 'new' pair several years to really establish themselves and the nesting cycle, and they won't nest every year, even for an established pair." He also said that based on our nesting pair's success last season, he has suggested that we not put up the nesting raft at this time.

I'm sure everyone is looking forward to seeing how they'll do this year!

We were also recently invited to participate in a beta testing of new web-based software that VCE has developed to support their loon work in Vermont. This new app will show historical data back to 2003, data from the yearly LoonWatch day count (July 19, 2025), in-depth Loon Monitoring surveys, and coming in 2026, projects to assist with deploying loon nesting rafts and warning signage, and coordinating rescues for loons in distress. After launching, the app will be available for folks to checkout - we'll let you know when that is.

Thanks to Eric and VCE (and Dawn & Joel for storing them for the winter), we have loon nesting signage ready to go if our pair nests again this year. So, keep your fingers crossed!

Let us know of any more signs of loons arriving. Thx!

Photo: Karen Velsor