Loon abundance

Common loons can fly up to 120 km/h, but require larger lakes and ponds to take off and land on because of their heavy bodies and relatively small wingspan. Loons are also sensitive to the impact of pollution and changes to climate or environment. The presence of breeding loons indicates healthy clean lakes that support the overall ecological integrity of the park.

The loon populations on 12 lakes in the park are monitored as part of the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. To conduct the surveys, volunteers and staff visit each of the lakes three times per year, once in June to look for loon pairs, once in July to see if chicks have hatched and once in August to check that chicks have fledged and can now fly. If the survey detects a change or drop in the loon population in one of the lakes it may be an indicator that further study or management actions may be required.