Death of a red-throated loon

A red-throated loon was found injured with a badly broken wing near Old Forge Pond two days before the annual Audubon Christmas Count in the Old Forge region. Red-throated loons, which breed in Alaska and northern Canada, are considerably smaller than the common loons found in the Adirondacks. The bird apparently hit a power line. It was put to sleep.

The injured loon. Photo by Gary Lee.

On the count day, observers spotted 803 birds, representing nineteen species. New birds included six tufted titmouse, seen at feeders, and wild turkey (forty-two, in all). Seven more species were seen during the week of the count but not on the count day itself.

I saw a barred owl the day after the count, on the Woodcraft Camp ski trails. This week I had one at my feeder during the evening, trying to catch mice that come out after the dropped seeds. This bird has been back several nights, so the hunting must be good. Many things roam around in the night world that we never see.