Photographed July 20, 2023, hatchling Common Loons should be about the age of this downy hatchling during the New York Annual Loon Census on Saturday July 19, 2025 (photo by Paul Konrad).

Birders from across the state are encouraged to participate in the New York Annual Loon Census, being held Saturday, July 19 from 8 to 9am to provide an annual “snapshot” of the nesting population of Common Loons in the state. Participants sign up in advance to watch for loons at a specific lake, then record their observations of loons on “their lake.” Over the years, results from this census have provided valuable information about the status and trends in New York’s summer population of Common Loons.

This important state census has been held annually since 2001 across the state of New York during the morning of the 3rd Saturday of July, and it is an exciting event for birders to look forward to each summer. To find registration details, see NY Annual Loon Census — Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (adkloon.org) You can also learn more about the Loon Census, and about Common Loons at the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation at Saranac Lake in northern New York; see Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (adkloon.org)