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The common loon in vivid breeding plumage is a hallmark of any Minnesota summer on the lake. But our state bird does not stay year-round in Minnesota. A large portion of the North American population of the common loon winters from October to April on the Gulf of Mexico. There has been little research on loon behavior and activity on their wintering grounds, but these studies were necessitated when at least 176 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 from Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.
Oil Spill in Louisiana
The Biodiversity Research Institute is investigating potential long-term ecological impacts on the common loon in its wintering habitats from this largest oil spill in U.S. history. Although most loons had already begun their migration to their breeding grounds in the Upper Midwest at the time of the spill, the spill’s magnitude will affect the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico for decades to come. Diving birds like loons are particularly vulnerable to spilled oil. Besides slicks that prevent their feathers from serving as insulation from cooler waters, ingesting oil can lead to petroleum toxicity and other potentially fatal problems. These effects are particularly stressful on migrating birds that must acclimate to new surroundings, and can be transmitted to their eggs and hatchlings.
Rebecca Schaefer, Bird Show Interpretive Naturalist at the Minnesota Zoo, championed this grant, and personally assisted field researchers in Louisiana. The grant provided funding for blood-isotope testing, supplies, and other support for the researchers.
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