Volunteers wanted to study loons
Birds Studies Canada is looking for people to help gather information on loons.
Kathy Jones, with Bird Studies Canada, said studies show that loons in the Atlantic Provinces are reproducing less than those in the west.
She said the loon population is down slightly throughout the country over the last 10 years.
"It's minor and it's only the last 10 years, so we don't know if this is showing something in the future we have to be concerned about."
Jones is looking for volunteers to gather information on loons for the annual Canadian Lakes Loon Study.
She said people who take part are asked to survey a lake where they usually spend time.
"During the summer, they record the number of loons they see, the number of chicks that hatch, and the number of young that survive."
Jones said volunteers will also be asked keep track of the number of boats and personal watercraft they see on their lake.
According to Jones, there is concern that boats and watercrafts are causing loons to flee their nests, leaving their eggs exposed to prey, or that their wakes are destroying the nests.
