The loons On Golden Pond

“Norman it’s the loons. Listen they are welcoming us back.”

Remember "On Golden Pond?" The movie, released in Dec. 1981, featured Henry Fonda as Norman, Katharine Hepburn as Ethel, Jane Fonda as their only daughter Chelsea, and Doug McKeon as Billy Ray, the young son of Chelsea’s beau who is left with the elderly couple on the lake (our beloved Squam Lake) for his summer vacation. The film opens with an exquisite close-up of loons over piano music by American composer Robert David Grusin. "On Golden Pond" was nominated for Academy Awards in several categories, and while the loons didn’t receive any recognition, they play a leading role.

A few years ago I took a loon cruise around Squam Lake and found it so enchanting I returned this summer. We boarded the pontoon boat at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center dock and found a comfortable seat on one of the benches that run along both sides. The last person to board was Tiffany Grade, who is the Squam Lake biologist with the Loon Preservation Committee and can identify every loon on the lake. She told us that last year there were 435 loons on New Hampshire’s lakes. Binoculars were passed around so we could look as she pointed out where to see the loons. “Over there, at 10 o’clock, there is a loon sitting on a nest just next to the dock.” Loon couples share the duty of nest sitting to keep the eggs safe and warm. While one partner sits for about eight hours, the other swims, dives for food and relaxes, until it is his or her turn.

When loons pair they seem to stay together about seven years and claim their “territory.” This is where they build their nest and raise their young. According to Tiffany it takes about 10 weeks for young loons to learn to feed themselves and then to fly. By the time they are 3 years old they begin to find their own territory and a mate. It isn’t unusual for one loon to force another out of their territory. We watched as young loons swam between their parents, one in the front and one in the back, the little ones appearing as tiny specks bobbing on the water.

Between 2005 and 2007, Squam Lake experienced an unprecedented decline in its loon population, followed by the near-complete reproductive failure of its remaining loons. An effort is underway by the Loon Preservation Committee to bring back the loon population, including setting up floating nests so the loons are not vulnerable to predators and flooding. At various points in the lake, bobbing in the water near the shore, are signs that warn boaters to proceed slowly to avoid the diving loons when they are underwater.

According to studies, adult loons die from ingesting fishing tackle, boat strikes and contaminants in the water. Every August there is an inventory of loons, and the report and updates can be found on the Loon Preservation Committee under the Squam Lakes Loon Initiative Report.

As we were making out way back to the dock Tiffany shared with us four loon calls. One is the tremolo, which is given to announce a loon’s presence or when it is alarmed. The yodel is the male loon’s territorial call and is unique to every male loon. Loons communicate with one another with a wail to figure out each other’s location. Finally, hoots are short calls given by family members to keep in contact with each other.

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center loon tours have ended for this summer. They are typically run on Mondays and Fridays from June through August. If you have a boat on Squam, you can see the loons until the water begins to freeze and ice forms on the lakes. This is when the loons migrate to the ocean, close to shore in bays and estuaries.

“Norman it’s the loons. Listen they are welcoming us back.” — Ethel, played by Katharine Hepburn, "On Golden Pond"

If you haven’t visited the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, I encourage you to plan a visit. You can find the perfect holiday gift for people of all sizes and interests in the gift shop. I want to thank Amanda Gillen, development and communications director, for organizing my cruise and providing beautiful photographs of the loons. To learn more, visit nhnature.org.

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or through the Arts Fuse. She is a journalist, columnist, and communications consultant. Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back, a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of A Day with Bonefish Joe (David R. Godine, 2015). Her articles have appeared in publications in the United States and internationally. You can send her a note at eh@elizabethhoward.com.