MADGE LAKE — The total number of common loons at Madge Lake in 2022 was similar to previous years with a high count of 82 adults on Aug. 6, according to the 2022 Loon Survey final report issued Nov. 25 by Doug Welykholowa of Madge Lake.
The chair of the YFBTA (Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association) Loon Initiatives Committee, Welykholowa said that indications are that because the average number of surviving chicks is not as high as it should be, the loon population on the lake may not be sustainable at the current levels.
This year the ice went off the lake on May 16, with the loons starting to arrive about a week before, as the ice receded from the shorelines, allowing the birds access to the water, Welykholowa said in the final report.
“Our first spotting of loon chicks was on June 19, about the same time as last year,” he said in the report. “Circumstances beyond our control resulted in us not doing a count until June 26, when we spotted our first chicks.
“Of the six chicks we saw initially, four were less than a week old, and two were approximately two weeks old. This would put the first hatchings at about the middle of June.
“We found 13 chicks/juveniles on the lake, of which 10 survived into mid-September. Six of those were only discovered as juveniles in early to mid-August. We are fairly confident that they were hatched on the lake, as they were closely accompanied by adults in known nesting territories.
“It is quite possible that the chicks avoided our previous counts by hiding in the reeds which are quite extensive in those territories. This has become more prevalent over the years as boating traffic has increased on the lake.
“We had a very wet spring and early summer, with the water levels rising over a foot from 2021,” the report says. “This resulted in most of the previously occupied nesting sites having to be relocated to higher ground. As a result, we were only able to directly observe two nests. The one on a beaver lodge near St. Michael’s Camp was moved higher on the lodge, while the one in the old boat lagoon had to be moved about 10 feet deeper into the reeds and positioned on the shore. Previously, that nest was built at the edge of the reeds on an old Grebe nest.
“This pair lost their first set of eggs, then laid another two. Unfortunately, the second set were also lost. This was likely due to predators which had easy access to the shore.
“One unusual surprise this year was the arrival of a pair of loons that were still in their winter/non-breeding plumage, into a new territory in Big Bay/Pelly Bay. This pair remained throughout the summer, and while the larger bird (likely the male) did eventually moult into its breeding colours by August, the other bird remained in its winter plumage the entire summer.
“While there is normal variation of up to a week when chicks hatch, we noticed at least one pair, new to the lake, in a new territory, had what was likely a chick from a second laying,” it said. “On July 24, when most of the chicks on the lake were around five weeks old, this chick was only about three weeks old. This is common and usually happens every year.”
As in previous years, the lake played host to a large number of unpaired young adults (three to five year olds), it said. These loons were often spotted in different locations on the lake with each count, and group size varied from 10 to 32 birds, depending on the day. It is quite common for these young adults to gather in larger groups in the middle of the lake during the evening, learning to socialize, while dispersing during the day to feed in other locations, including the many nearby kettle lakes surrounding Madge.
Normally one can get into the middle of the group with a boat without the birds getting disturbed.
“While the loon population on the lake appears to have remained stable over the last 13 years of data collection, we are beginning to see some disturbing trends in the data,” the survey says. Total numbers of adults has varied between 72 and 86. The totals are not absolute, given the difficulties in obtaining an accurate count.
There are a large number of loon pairs residing on the larger kettle lakes within the park boundary, as well as those just across the border in Manitoba. Many of these likely fly into Madge periodically to feed, and thus can get caught up in the survey counts.
The one steady factor is the number of occupied nesting territories, which average 25.3 per year, it said. The variables are the unpaired adults and any fly-ins. The disturbing trend, with variations from year to year is the number of surviving juveniles produced on the lake. Long-term studies by Birds Canada and organizations in the Northern States show that in order to maintain a viable loon population, the average number of surviving chicks (reaching six weeks maturity) has to be above .47 chicks per breeding pair. Over the last 13 years Madge Lake has averaged only .41 chicks surviving to six weeks per breeding pair. This indicates that the loon population on the lake may not be sustainable at the current levels in the future. This is a trend right across North America. In the eastern provinces and Northeastern US, acid rain, pollution and resulting increases in methyl mercury are the main causes. Climate change is a contributing factor.
Here at Madge, pollution and heavy metals are not thought to be as significant, but this is an area that has not been properly studied, it said. Predators, such as eagles, are also not believed to be a significant problem, however other predators could be a problem.
“However, one trend that we have observed is a significant increase in powerboat traffic each year since we have kept records,” it says. “Our observations indicate that the breeding pairs are taking extra measures to hide their young and keep them out of the high traffic areas in most cases. More research is required to produce definitive answers, but this is well beyond our local capabilities.
“Whatever the answer is, the loons are an excellent indicator of the health of our environment. What affects them, will have broad-reaching consequences in the future, and that should concern us all.”
Welykholowa said that Nature Saskatchewan had its fall meet at Madge Lake on Sept. 24, and he and Bob Wynes made a presentation on the loons at Madge Lake and Trumpeter Swans in the park. They arranged to take a number of participants out on the lake where they were able to observe a number of the remaining juvenile loons.
He thanked those who accompanied Wynes and himself on the surveys, including Nancy Welykholowa, Shevon Wilson, Rob Wilson and Laurie Murray. He also thanked Duck Mountain Provincial Park and its staff for the support they provide every year, the YFBTA and the Kamsack Times and Nature Saskatchewan who continually publish this annual report.
