Rescue at Palmer Pond Dam
Last week, two juvenile Common Loons were found below the dam at Palmer Pond in Essex County, NY.
When rescuers arrived, the juvenile loons were swimming calmly downstream from the whitewater coming off the high dam. Ironically, they were just above a section of the stream where we had rescued an adult loon earlier this summer. Due to the fast water, tall dam, and steep banks, the young loons were trapped and unable to get themselves back to the lake above. Since loons are very heavy and have a unique anatomy, they need long stretches of open water to get airborne. The two young siblings at Palmer Pond were new to the art of flying, and had no hope of taking off from the stream.
Our rescue team, including three staff members from the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation and five of our volunteers, gathered along the two sides of Palmer Pond’s outlet. We used a variety of nets and techniques to capture the loons. One was quickly caught after we began our effort. However, the other bird evaded rescuers with swift dives and impressive agility, until we employed a system involving two gill nets. This worked very well, and we finally captured the loon after a couple of tries.
We took the juveniles to a different lake nearby for release, since they were old enough to feed themselves and no longer required care from their parents. If we had returned them to Palmer Pond, we feared they may go back over the dam again.
We banded, weighed, and measured the loons before releasing them at their new home. Once again free, they looked delighted to be able to swim easily on the calm, flat water. The siblings swam away from shore together to inspect their new lake. Hopefully they will soon begin fattening up to prepare for migration.
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation thanks Ellie George, Gary Lee, Sue and Lance Durfey, Trish Pielnik, Larry McGory, and Kevin Boyle for their excellent help with this unique multi-loon rescue.
Jennifer Denny, ACLC Communications Coordinator