LAKE VERMILION— High water and ferocious insects may have played a role in reducing loon reproduction this year on Lake Vermilion, according to organizers of the lake’s annual loon count. Volunteers tallied 248 loons on the lake this year during the annual count conducted on Wednesday, July 16.

This year, counters found a total of 60 loon pairs on the lake, but only 29 chicks, suggesting reproductive success of just under fifty percent. By contrast, counters found a total of 50 loon pairs last year, and 33 chicks, reflecting a success ratio of 66 percent.

High water at the beginning of the season, combined with heavy rains in June, may have washed out some nests. In addition, media reports suggested that swarms of black flies prompted loons to abandon nests in some spots. The increased eagle population on Vermilion may also be affecting the survival of young loons.

While the number of loon pairs was up this year, the number of single adult loons dipped to 95, from last year’s total of 132. The drop in the number of single adults accounted for the overall drop in loons counted, as compared to last year’s total of 265.

Count organizers had originally scheduled this year’s count for Monday, July 14, but cold temperatures and high winds prompted organizers to postpone the count for two days. Conditions for counting were “perfect” on the actual count day, according to organizers. A total of 74 volunteers took part in the count, a slight increase over last year.

The Vermilion loon count, conducted by the Sportsmen’s Club of Lake Vermilion, began in 1983 and is one of the longest-running loon counts in Minnesota. It traditionally leads the state in the number of loons counted, with a long-term average of 216 loons. Over the 32-year history of the count, loon tallies have ranged from an all-time low of 132 in 1985 to an all-time high of 331 in 1993.