Maine Audubon’s Nick Lund helps us get to know the common loon ahead of this year’s “loon count.”

Common loons are common to Mainers but not really to the rest of the U.S., aside from Alaska.

Lund says the bird is unique to see with its distinctive red eyes and a speckled black and white back.

The loon is built to dive into Maine lakes, with its legs set to the back of its body and its bones completely dense (unlike ducks and most other birds with hollow bones).

Lund says this coming weekend, July 15, Mainers from all around the state will take to boats for the 40th Annual Loon Count. Lund says it’s a way to keep track of the population as loons continue to live in Maine. He is happy to report the loon population in southern Maine has doubled since they started counting 40 years ago. He believes protection efforts by Mainers is the biggest contributor.

One of those recent protections was the phasing out of painted lead fishing lures. Lund says loons swallow stones on the lake’s floor to help grind up fish bones in their stomachs. Lund says many loons have succumbed to lead poising in recent years after accidentally ingesting this type of tackle.

Lund says loons are not built to travel very far on land, so in recent years, Maine Audubon has deployed floating platforms to help make it convenient for the loons to nest.

If you hear the eerie, beautiful call on one of the thousands of lakes in Maine, Lund says the loon is checking to see who else is on the lake.