Nesting Ecology and Management of the Arctic Loon in Sweden

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Abstract
We studied 20 pairs of arctic loon (Gavia arctica) at 2 adjacent lakes 2 years before and 5 years after 1981, when public access to most nesting islands was prohibited. The mean annual production of young/territorial pair was 0.08 before and 0.38 after sanctuaries were established. Hatching success increased in sancutaries but not on unprotected islands after 1981. Between 1960 and 1986, regulation of the water level presumably led to low nesting success in .gtoreq. 8 years. A detailed study of 24 pairs in the area in 1983 and 1984 illustrated that 9 and 8 pairs, respectively, hatched eggs; their production of young seemed to be sufficient to maintain a stable population. Recreational activities and water level fluctuations probably caused most nest failures (investigators caused no or few failures). Flushing distance of incubating loons and time spent off the nest were related to stage of incubation and amount of recreational use of a lake. Appropriate design of sanctuaries requires consideration of loon behavior and use of alternate nesting islands within territories.

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