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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Vermilion’s loon population jumps sharply

Posted 7/28/21

LAKE VERMILION— Volunteer loon counters reported a sizable uptick in the loon population here, with a total of 241 loons counted during the one-day survey of the 40,557-acre lake. Adult loons …

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Vermilion’s loon population jumps sharply

Posted

LAKE VERMILION— Volunteer loon counters reported a sizable uptick in the loon population here, with a total of 241 loons counted during the one-day survey of the 40,557-acre lake. Adult loons totaled 208, while counters sighted 33 chicks.
The adult numbers represent an increase of 40 over last year’s survey results, while chicks were up by five. That’s a roughly 20-percent increase over the results in 2020.
Volunteers sighted a total of 23 pairs and 33 single adults on the lake’s west end. They found 34 pairs and 61 singles on the east end. Chicks were almost evenly divided, with 16 spotted on the west end and 17 in the east.
Lake Vermilion has long been home to the largest documented loon population on any lake in Minnesota. Its 365 islands and hundreds of miles of shoreline, much of it undeveloped, provide exceptional nesting habitat for loons.