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Health & Fitness

The First Loon Near NY Harbor

Along with the first flurries of the season last week, there was the first sight of a Red-throated Loon near the tip of the Sandy Hook peninsula, not far from the entrance to New York Harbor. It was a solitary bird fishing for Sand Eels close by to some surf fisherman most likely trying to catch a late-season Striped Bass. Unfortunately, no action for either.

Even though it was a mild mid-November day, the sight of a Red-throated loon left little doubt in my mind that winter is creeping forward. Loons are starting to take up winter residence here. The landscape is slowing becoming a home for migratory birds that nest from all points north.

Red-throated Loons nest far north in the summer, along lakes and ponds in the tundra of northern Canada and Greenland. At the end of the summer the red-throats say goodbye to the great white north shortly before ice covers the lakes and head south for the coast thousands of miles away and flying as fast as 75 miles per hour.

This loon just seemed to pop out of nowhere. Not more than 30 feet away from the edge of the beach. My first thought, was it a red-throat, common loon, or a cormorant.  I haven't seen a loon since last winter, so it could have been almost anything.

Loons commonly lose their attractive breeding feathers by the time they arrive to New York Harbor in late fall. This makes identification a little more difficult. Yet, after some practice and a few hints, it gets easier to tell who is who. This bird was small and pale in color with a small, grebe-like thin bill, slightly upturned at the tip. Clues that indicated to me it was a Red-throated Loon even though it had eclipsed its breeding plumage, including its characteristic red-throat.

Sure, it was a little dull looking, but still a beautiful little bird. The smallest loons in the world are the Red-throated Loons, which generally grow to about two feet in length, compared to their larger cousins the Common Loons that are around 32 inches, or Yellow-billed Loons that grow to nearly three feet in length.  

This red-throat was most likely an adult bird. Adult loons generally migrate first leaving their offspring behind near the nest to allow the chicks to become skilled at fishing and surviving on their own before flying to the coast for the winter.

New York Harbor and the nearby Atlantic Ocean regularly provide a fine winter home for many loons. There is a good assortment of deep and shallow waters for the loons to dive and forage for fish to fill their stomachs. Plus there are not many big predators, such as alligators or sharks, in the winter to create diving dilemmas or stressful situations for these birds to feel safe.

Yet, life in and around New York Harbor is not perfect, even during the winter. Living near one of the largest urban-suburban coastlines in the world is not easy for the loons. They must adjust from leaving a wilderness environment in the north to the stress of an urban environment with marine pollution, oil spills, speeding boats, and contaminated fish. Plus the anxiety of rough coastal waters and stormy weather, which makes it difficult to find food and a safe place to rest. There is also the hassle of adjusting to a different diet made up of species of saltwater fish, from fish found in freshwater lakes or bogs in the tundra.  

Still, there must be something agreeable here. The loons keep on coming back to the bright lights of city life near New York City. It hints that our coastline is an important winter home for loons. The fishing must be good and there just enough places for the birds to relax and feel safe.  

Surrounded by buildings, ships, sidewalks, train tracks, and highways, New York Harbor may not appear to be a winter habitat for loons, but don’t let the urban-suburban setting fool you. It's home for Red-throated Loons every winter. Seeing one is like catching a glimpse of northern wilderness.

Below are seven easy ways for people to help wildlife continue living in Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay, and other urban-suburban waters around Lower New York Bay. Please help make our coastal environment a place for all species to enjoy!  
 
1.    Help Take Care of the Beach
Always clean up after yourself and encourage others to respect the marine environment. Please responsible for all your trash and dispose of it at home.

2.    Use Fewer Plastic Products and Limit Your Use of Single-Use Stuff
Reduce, reuse, and recycle the amount of trash you generate. To limit your impact, carry a reusable water bottle, store food in non-disposable containers, bring your own cloth tote or other reusable bag when shopping, and recycle whenever possible. Plastic bags, plastic bottle caps, plastic bottles, and other plastic items of all sizes contribute to habitat destruction and kill tens of thousands of marine animals globally each year.

3.    Never Release Balloons
Whatever goes up, must come down, often in the ocean. Balloons may look pretty when you release them, but they are a danger to wildlife, who can swallow them accidentally, mistake them for food, or get tangled up in their strings.

4.    Dispose of Fishing Line Responsibly
Never throw away your fishing line into the water. Monofilament fishing line takes about 600 years to degrade. If left in the ocean, it will become a trap that threatens a variety of wildlife for a very long time. Be responsible, recycle it or throw it away in the garbage.

5.    Participate in a coastal cleanup
Help clean up a local beach, wetland, or waterway and help to pick up trash before it gets into the marine environment.

6.    Support Organizations Working to Protect the Coast
Find a local environmental organization, such as the American Littoral Society, Clean Ocean Action, or the NY-NJ Baykeeper, and consider giving financial support or volunteering for hands-on work or advocacy.

7.    Educate Yourself About Your Local Coastal Environment
The more you learn, the more you’ll want to help ensure its health—then share that knowledge to educate and inspire others.

For more information, pictures and year-round sightings of wildlife in or near Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay, and Lower New York Bay, please check out my blog entitled, Nature on the Edge of New York City at http://natureontheedgenyc.blogspot.com/


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