Dead loons wanted

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants you to pick up dead loons -- those that haven't yet decomposed. The agency is conducting a statewide study get a better sense of what kills loons -- trauma, mercury, lead, disease or effects of the Gulf oil spill are all possibilities.

Boaters, anglers and lakeshore owners are being asked to pick up dead loons for testing.

Minnesota's loon population, about 12,000 birds, appears to be stable, according to Pam Perry, DNR nongame wildlife specialist and the loon watcher coordinator. But if some causes of death are preventable, the DNR can develop strategies to reduce loon mortality and increase the population.

The DNR is asking for help in collecting recently dead loons without signs of decomposition. If you find one, you should use disposable gloves to put the bird in a plastic bag. Try not to touch it with bare hands. If you don't have gloves right at the moment you happen to come upon a dead loon, use a plastic bag to pick it up if you can. Place the specimen in a freezer as soon as possible. If a freezer is not available, place the specimen in a cooler, surrounded by ice.

It is important to deliver the specimen as soon as possible to a local DNR office because it's against the law to possess a loon, dead or alive. All loons need to be labeled with the date, name of the county, lake and nearest town where it was found, along with name, address and telephone number of the person who found it.

More information about general guidelines for safe handling of wild birds is available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/waterfowl/avian_flu.html.

For more information or to locate the DNR office, call the DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157 or toll-free at 888-646-6367.