Results of Common Loon territory monitoring (1979–2009) and of chick monitoring surveys (2004–2006) at Voyageurs National Park

Recovering species are not returning to the same environments or communities from which they disappeared. Conservation researchers and practitioners are thus faced with additional challenges in ensuring species resilience in these rapidly changing ecosystems. Assessing the resilience of species in these novel systems can still be guided by species’ ecology, including knowledge of their population size, life history traits, and behavioral adaptations, as well as the type, strength, and number of ways that they interact with other species in the community. We summarized broad trends of Common Loons (Gavia immer) breeding at Voyageurs National Park during 1973–2009 and evaluated the effects of increased risk from recovering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on chick survival during 2004–2006. Adult Common Loons appear to have increased over time. Using Bayesian survival models that accounted for imperfect detection of unmarked individuals, we determined that chick survival of Common L..., Summaries of outcomes for monitoring surveys of known territories of Common Loon in lakes of Voyageurs National Park conducted during the breeding season from 1979 to 2009. Known territories were defined as areas of the lakes where a breeding attempt (either observed nest or chick) was known to have occurred at least once. New territories were added to the list through time. The number of known territories that were monitored varied each year due to resources and new territories added to the list. NPS scientists focused on surveys from the major lakes including Rainy (U.S. side only), Namakan, Kabetogama, and Sand Point from 1979 to 2009 to summarize trends in populations of Common Loons breeding at Voyageurs National Park. Surveys for Common Loon territories on major lakes were conducted by one or two NPS scientists with binoculars traveling on a boat at slow speed, although the speed was not set or recorded, so it varied. During each survey of a known territory, observers recorded any..., Data are provided in .csv files suitable for Excel or other similar programs.Â