Migration Patterns and Wintering Distribution of Juvenile Common Loons
Little is known about the movements, habitat use, and causes of mortality of common loons during their first few years. To address this knowledge gap, scientists with the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and partners captured and radiomarked juvenile common loons on lakes scattered across Minnesota and Wisconsin during the summers of 2014 and 2015. Satellite transmitter and geolocator tag technologies were used to describe the movements and wintering ground use of juvenile loons in Minnesota and Wisconsin during their first two years of life.