Star Lake Loons

STAR LAKE LOONS

Loons – one of the sounds most synonymous with Star Lake is the call of the loon.

The common loon (Gavia immer) is a black and white bird that can range from 26 to 36 inches in length, with an average wingspan of 4.5 feet.

The breeding season of the loon is spring and summer, and with loons favoring wooded lakes with clear water (to aid with finding prey), coves, a population of small fish, and enough surface to allow for flight takeoff - Star Lake makes a wonderful home to these amazing birds.

There are many calls of the loon that you will hear on Star Lake:

Hoot – short contact call between birds, made when the bird is calm to keep in contact with others.

Wail – A long one, two or three note call when the loons want to move closer to one another.

Tremolo – Sounds like a laugh, though this is an alarm call. This is what is heard most often at night.

Yodel – used by males when defending their territory or if a predator (such as an eagle) is seen.

Loons face many threats. Human Disturbance being the main one. Please remember we share our lake with the loons. Do not “chase” the loons, rather opt to observe them from a distance (at least 100 feet). Loons also face deadly threats from other wildlife preying on their eggs as well as from fishing-line entanglement, leading to infection or preventing the loon from being able to eat. Please ensure you are collecting any fishing line you find washed up and retrieve any broken line. The deadliest threat to loons is lead poisoning. Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for common loons. Loons can ingest lead tackle that has dropped to the lake bottom. If loons swallow a fish off a line, they can ingest lead tackle like jib head hooks or weights. We encourage everyone to switch to lead-free tackle!

The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (located in Saranac Lake) is the primary resource for loon conservation in New York’s Adirondack Park. Their website is a wonderful resource for knowledge on Loons – adkloon.org.

By Thanksgiving, the loons have migrated to the Atlantic coast winter; we are fortunate they return to Star Lake year after year. The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation completes an annual census of loon-counts on the various Adirondack lakes and across New York State, with 15 loons observed on Star Lake in 2024. Each year’s census can be accessed on their website.

Turtles, eagles, otters, muskrats and beavers have been seen on the lake from time to time. Beavers have dammed the lake on occasion, ultimately causing issues including impacting water level.

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