The ice on New Hampshire鈥檚 biggest lake didn鈥檛 come in until mid January this year. When Lake Winnipesaukee did freeze, it happened almost at once. Six inches of black ice set in overnight.
That鈥檚 when Evan Perkins, of Barnet, went out for a long skate with friends. In the middle of the lake, about a mile from shore, something on the surface of the ice caught his eye.
鈥淚 skated that way,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we came across a large open hole with 10 loons swimming around in it.鈥�
Perkins had seen loons like this before 鈥� they鈥檙e heavy birds with red eyes and long, dark bodies, known for their . He knew they weren鈥檛 supposed to be there. They were stuck.
鈥淲e made sure to log the coordinates to give to somebody,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 stick around there very long, just because they were obviously panicking.鈥�
Those coordinates eventually reached John Cooley, a biologist with the nonprofit Loon Preservation Committee based in New Hampshire.
"It seemed like we were giving them the best chance for a good recovery the sooner we could get them."John Cooley, Loon Preservation Committee
鈥淲ithin a moment of talking to the ice skater, I knew exactly what the story was,鈥� Cooley said. 鈥淚mmediately, we kind of swung into high gear.鈥�
The next morning, after a snowstorm, he skied across the lake to check on the loons.
鈥淭hey were just hanging out there, and not getting much to eat,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t's over one of the deepest parts of the lake, so there are fish there. But it was just hard to imagine that they were doing well. It seemed like we were giving them the best chance for a good recovery the sooner we could get them.鈥�
But the hole in the ice was too big to attempt a rescue. So he visited the loons every day.
People like Cooley because just a few decades ago. Only a few dozen resided on lakes across Vermont and New Hampshire.
In recent years, populations have . But loons aren't supposed to be here this time of year. Every fall, they to overwinter.
Sometimes though, a loon will linger into the colder months. That鈥檚 when they can get into trouble. Because of their anatomy 鈥� they鈥檙e powerful divers with solid bones 鈥� they can鈥檛 take off flying whenever they want.
鈥淭hey have to work really hard to take flight, and usually that involves running across the surface of the water while flapping their wings the whole time,鈥� said Caroline Hughes, another biologist with the Loon Preservation Committee.
鈥淪o when the ice comes in and they don鈥檛 have a long enough runway, they can鈥檛 take off.鈥�
鈥淲e sort of expect that we would start to see cases of loons getting stuck in this way more frequently as the climate warms.鈥�John Cooley, Loon Preservation Committee
There鈥檚 an even bigger issue for the birds this late in the season. Every year, loons lose and regrow all the feathers they need to fly. It鈥檚 called molting, and it takes about a month. Usually, this happens when they鈥檙e out on the ocean, where they don鈥檛 need to go anywhere. But if they鈥檙e still on a lake that鈥檚 frozen over, they鈥檙e trapped.
鈥淭hey're designed to swim, so they can't walk well,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淚f any sort of predator 鈥� an eagle or whatever else 鈥� comes after them when they're up on the ice, they can't get away from it and they're goners.鈥�
Loons get stuck on lakes in New Hampshire and Vermont nearly every year. But not usually as adults in such big groups so late in the season.
Cooley has a theory about what might be going on here.
鈥淲e know that the long-term trend in ice cover on lakes in the Northeast is ," he said. 鈥淲e sort of expect that we would start to see cases of loons getting stuck in this way more frequently as the climate warms.鈥�
Scientists project climate change will also make for the species in coming decades. That鈥檚 as spring heat waves harm chicks and the water quality of northern lakes changes, according to and modeling by the National Audubon Society.
Despite these existential threats, Cooley believes trying to save 10 loons from freezing to death, or being picked off by an eagle, is worth it.
Loons typically And not until they鈥檙e a few years old. But the birds are live for a long time 鈥� some are in their 30s.
鈥淓ach individual adult loon that we can rescue or save, it's going to have a long-term benefit to the population,鈥� Cooley said.
That's been the case in Vermont.
鈥淲e鈥檝e rescued enough loons that it has really made a difference in at least sustaining population levels,鈥� said Eric Hanson, a loon biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, a wildlife conservation and research nonprofit.
鈥淯p to half to 1% a year, contributing to population growth that we've seen, by saving three or four loons a year 鈥� maybe one of those would be [caught in] ice.鈥�
That鈥檚 why Cooley was so determined to help the birds on Lake Winnipesauke.
Finally, six days after the skaters first spotted the birds, Cooley, Hughes and more than a dozen others headed out with a big long net .
They couldn鈥檛 get a hold of any birds though. The hole was still too big. The next day, after nighttime lows dipped below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, they tried again.
鈥淭he ice had come in so that the loons were trapped in this tiny, little 10-foot hole,鈥� Cooley said. 鈥淭hey were just all cozied up like that.鈥�
This time, they were able to scoop up the birds, one by one, over the course of several hours.
鈥淲e came up with a pretty good routine,鈥� Cooley said.
They put each loon in a plastic bin and dragged them back to shore on sleds. Then, the loons headed to an emergency vet in Concord, where they were blood tested and X-rayed. They stayed at a wildlife rehab center, eating 30 pounds of fish as they recovered.
When they were deemed healthy enough, the birds took a bus to the ocean. They went off into the salt water, where they can regrow feathers and swim anywhere they鈥檇 like.
鈥淭hey're exactly where they should be right now,鈥� Hughes said.
Thank you to Jay Mager, John Rockwood, and the Loon Preservation Committee for sharing sounds of loon calls and takeoff.
Lexi Krupp is a corps member for , a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.
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