Earlier this month, National Grid crew members working at a logistics yard in Boonville, New York, paused their activity when they noticed an unlikely feathered guest sitting near their equipment.
National Grid
The visitor was a common loon, a diving bird known for their brilliant, speckled plumage and dark head. Despite what their name suggests, common loons aren’t as common as you might think. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, these birds were once more abundant in the area, but their numbers dwindled throughout the 1800s as settlers developed the land. Today, common loons are designated as a New York species of special concern, and they’re protected by the Migratory Bird Act.
Workers could tell that there was something amiss. The bird didn’t seem injured, so why wasn’t he moving?
National Grid
Worried crew members brought the news to the company’s environmental scientists, who began doing some research. They soon learned that the bird had run off course. He needed help — and fast.
“Loons sometimes mistake gravel or large parking lots for open water and will land,” a representative from National Grid told The Dodo. “Once on the ground, they struggle to move and cannot take off due to their anatomy, making it a life-and-death situation for the bird without intervention.”
National Grid
Guided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, National Grid crew members eventually connected with the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, who sent Gary Lee, a trained volunteer, to the scene.
National Grid
Lee carefully secured the bird and brought him to a safe place for observation. Luckily, the loon was uninjured, just a bit shaken. Rescuers took him to a pond near Saranac Lake and released him back into the wild.
Thanks to the quick thinking and empathy of so many animal lovers, this loon can continue living the life he loves best. With any luck, he won’t make the same mistake anytime soon.
