A loon hopelessly tangled in fishing line was saved from death by a group of Koshlong Lake cottagers last Saturday, just in time to become the likely parent of a baby loon born Monday. Fortunately for the loon, it had dragged itself out of the water to die on a low point of land right beside the cottage where Don Hughes, a Ministry of Natural Resources fish biologist, and his family were staying on vacation. Hughes and his wife, Gail, as well as their seven-year-old neighbour, Caitlin Allan, were instrumental in saving the bird's life.
"It was very passive...It seemed almost resigned, as though it knew these people were going to help."
Both the Hughes and the Allan families had noticed throughout the week that the loon, which was later found to have fishing line wound tightly around its neck and in its beak, was exhibiting strange behaviour. It had been swimming very close to shore with its head down in an awkward position, seemingly not bothered by any of the nearby children in the water. "At one point Caitlin was standing in the water and the loon just bumped right into her," says her mother, Barb Allan. "It nearly scared the life out of her."
Mr. Hughes began to suspect there might be something wrong with the loon. "I was aware that fishing line might be the problem or possibly it could have had lead poisoning (from fishing weights)," he says. On Saturday at about 8:30 p.m. his suspicions were confirmed.
Caitlin was out in the canoe with a couple of family members when she discovered the loon up on a flat point of land that rises just inches out of the water. The loon's head was turned around toward its tail and there was a gnarl of fishing line around its neck and in its beak, as though it had been trying to bite through it, says Mr. Hughes.
While his wife held the large bird's wings close to its body so it could not move, he used a knife to slice away the line. "It was very passive", says Mrs. Hughes. "It didn't seem like weakness. It seemed almost resigned, as though it knew these people were going to help." Someone had likely thrown the ball of line overboard while fishing says Mr. Hughes.
After it was clear of the noose of fishing line, the couple tried to feed the loon one of their bait worms, but it didn't eat. When they placed the bird in the water it swam away very strongly. "It went out a way and stopped and arched its back and moved its head around," she says. "It just seemed so pleased to be able to move its neck."
Though it is difficult to tell conclusively, says Mr. Hughes, it appears the freed loon has rejoined its partner, which was incubating an egg throughout the ordeal on a small island about 200 metres off the point where the other loon had gone to die. During the time when the tangled loon was swimming in close to shore, it appeared there was just the one loon on the island. Now that the loon has been rescued, there is a pair of adults staying in the bay again. And on Monday, they were joined by a newborn. "It seems as though the loon that was freed could be one of the two parents," said Mr. Hughes, who was unable to determine whether the bird was male or female when it was on land.
Mr. Hughes warns anglers not to throw unwanted line overboard when fishing. "It's hazardous waste to wildlife," he said, noting there are many other pieces of litter that can be harmful to animals.
"Fishing line thrown overboard is hazardous waste to wildlife."
Studies currently being carried out by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources show that loons are dying after becoming entangled in fishing line or developing lead poisoning from lead weights used by anglers. British Columbia is moving to ban the use of lead weights for fishing. Mr. Hughes said lead sinkers will likely be banned in all provinces unless the angling industry chooses to make the switch to some other material for weights by itself.
The loon that was rescued on Koshlong did not have much time left to live. "I think once it came up on land it was not going to survive", said Hughes.
- Peter Downs
Reprinted from CLLS Newsletter 1995
This article originally appeared in the Haliburton County Echo.
Thanks to Shirley Wallace for sending it in!
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Canadian Lakes Loon Survey
Bird Studies Canada
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Ontario, Canada N0E 1M0
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