Help protect Michigan’s threatened Common Loons by contributing vital observations from your lake.
Why Your Count Matters
Common Loons remain a threatened species in Michigan. Although they continue to grace many lakes, they face growing pressure from habitat loss, shoreline development, boat disturbance, fishing tackle, contaminants, and changing environmental conditions. Effective protection begins with knowing where loons live, how many remain, and whether they are successfully raising young.
On the third Saturday of July each year, the Michigan Loon Preservation Association conducts a statewide Annual Loon Count. Your observations create an important snapshot of Michigan’s loon population, helping us track trends, identify conservation priorities, and strengthen protection for loons and the lakes they call home.
How to Participate
- Step 1: Join the Annual Count email list. Before July, sign up to receive Annual Count updates and reminders.
Add Me to the Annual Loon Count Email List
- Step 2: Register your lake. Registration opens in early July. Choose the lake or lakes you plan to observe.
Register for the Michigan Annual Loon Count
- Step 3: Watch for your reporting link. On count day, you will receive a text message or email with a link to submit your report.
- Step 4: Count the loons. Observe your registered lake or lakes on the third Saturday of July and record the number of loons you see.
- Step 5: Submit your observations. Use the reporting link you received by text message or email.
Every Loon Lake Matters
Whether your lake has one loon pair, several families, or no loons at all, your observations provide valuable information. Data from every lake helps build a more complete picture of Michigan’s loon population.
Conservation decisions are only as strong as the data behind them. Thank you for making this work possible as a citizen scientist.
