A Loons-Eye View of Anchorage

Tour the last large city in North America where loons nest and produce offspring

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska

August 22, 2022

Millions of migratory birds make the annual summer journey north to Alaska to breed and feed on the bounty of foods available. In its vast remoteness, Alaska has numerous isolated lakes and ponds for water birds to live far away from human activity. However, some birds choose to visit or spend their summer in the bustling city of Anchorage, including three of the five loon species: the common loon, Pacific loon, and red-throated loon.

Anchorage is the last large city in North America where loons nest and produce offspring. Large-scale development and destruction of suitable nesting habitats have driven loons from other large cities. During the spring and summer, Anchorage residents and visitors have the golden opportunity to view and listen to these three spectacular water birds.

Meet the Loons

Use the arrow on the right to explore the different species of loons. If optional, unmute the background audio to hear their calls.

Common Loons (Tuullek, Yup’ik) have a black or dark green head and neck with an intricate black and white pattern on their back. These loons are often considered the ‘spirit of the wilderness,' spending summers on lakes across Alaska and winters along the Aleutian Islands and southeast coast of Alaska, as far south as Baja, California.

Pacific Loons (Tunucellek, Yup’ik) have a gray head and black neck with a black and white patterned back. These loons are the most widely distributed, spending summers on lakes across all of Alaska and the winters along the coast of southeast Alaska, as far south as Baja, California.

Red-throated Loons (Qaqataq, Yup’ik) have a gray head with a distinctive patch of red on their throat. These are the smallest of the species of loons and the only ones that can take off directly from the water. These loons breed in coastal ponds and marshes across Alaska and spend the winter along the Pacific coast from the Aleutian Islands to Baja, California.

A red-throated loon on water at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Breeding Cycle

May to Early June: Arrival and Nesting

Loons arrive in southcentral Alaska in early to mid-May after much of the ice melts off freshwater lakes and waterbodies. Loons begin nesting in mid-May to early June. Nesting sites are typically found on the edges of shallow waters or on lake banks, preferably an island that offers protection from predators. Loons assemble their nests with organic material such as twigs, grass, leaves, and soil and lay one or two eggs.

Early July to Mid-July: Hatching and Parental Care

Loon chicks hatch in early July after approximately 30 days of incubation by both parents. The chicks leave the nest shortly after hatching but return for sleep. After a couple of nights in the nest, the chicks begin sleeping on the water under their parents' wings. Adult loons provide a great deal of parental care until the chicks reach fledging age. Both the male and female supply food and shelter to the chicks.

A loon and fledgling swimming on a lake.

Late August to Late Fall: Fledging

The chicks are considered ‘fledged’ roughly 60 to 65 days post-hatch and about two-thirds the size of an adult. Loons migrate to their winter locations. The adult loons depart first, leaving the chicks behind to migrate on their own.

Loon Lakes in Anchorage

Common loons, Pacific loons, and red-throated loons have historically visited and nested on numerous lakes across the city.

Click through the map to visit the loon lakes of Anchorage.

Little Campbell Lake

Pacific loons have historically nested on Little Campbell Lake, located on the edge of Kincaid Park near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. In recent years, loons only visit the lake to rest and feed. Urban fishing activity is permitted, and the lake is stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Connors Lake

Pacific loons nest on Connors Lake. This lake shares part of its shoreline with a dog park and is a short distance from the end of the east/west runway at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Taku Lake

Common loons regularly visit Taku Lake, situated in west Anchorage. The lake is surrounded by wetland and riparian habitat and features a popular paved trail. Urban fishing activity is permitted, and the lake is stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Cheney Lake

Common loons visit Cheney Lake, located in east Anchorage near the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility. The lake features nature trails, a playground, picnic area, and benches for visitors.

Delong Lake

Pacific loons and common loons nest in Delong Lake, situated east of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Sand Lake

Common loons visit and have nested on Sand Lake. Just south of Ted Stevens International Airport, large jets can be seen passing overhead to the west as they take off and land.

Lake Hood

Red-throated loons are summer residents of Lake Hood, located in west Anchorage. The Lake Hood Seaplane Base, one of the busiest floatplane harbors in the world, is located at this lake.

Jewel Lake

Common loons are summer residents of Jewel Lake, situated in south Anchorage. Surrounded by forested area, the lake features a popular park, playground, picnic area, and sandy beach for people to enjoy. Local updates are posted near the beach, and fishing line and tackle recycling bins are located around the lake.

University Lake

Common loons visit University Lake, located near the Alaska Pacific University and the University of Alaska Anchorage. This popular lake includes an off-leash dog park and offers a nature trail for visitors to hike, run, and ski with their pets.

Sundi Lake

Pacific loons visit Sundi Lake, situated near Sand Lake and Jewel Lake. Part of the lake is surrounded by private residences and the remainder by wetland preserve.

Goose Lake

Pacific loons nest at Goose Lake, situated within the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. This lake is a popular spot for swimming on hot summer days with a beach and a three-mile paved trail to walk or run. The lake is also accessible for paddle boarding.

Westchester Lagoon

This lagoon is unique—three species of loons have been seen here: Pacific loons, common loons, and red-throated loons. Westchester Lagoon is a popular recreational site close to downtown Anchorage with two busy recreational trails converging in the area and a playground nearby.

Little Campbell Lake

Please use the recycling bins for fishing line and tackle to prevent wildlife entanglements and injuries.

Image of a person canoeing on Connors Lake.

Loon raft at Connors Lake with two loons near it.

Connors Lake

Pacific loons nest on Connors Lake. This lake shares part of its shoreline with a dog park and is a short distance from the end of the east/west runway at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

With support from the Jean Tam Loon Fund, the Alaska Conservation Foundation and partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, maintain a floating platform for Pacific loons to use for nesting and chick rearing. The platform is equipped with a video camera to monitor activity. You can watch video clips of the loon pair on the platform by visiting the Alaska Loon Cam YouTube channel.

Learn more about the people and history behind the loon platform by watching this short video: The Loons of Connors Lake on Vimeo

Taku Lake

Please use the recycling bins for fishing line and tackle to prevent wildlife entanglements and injuries.

Cheney Lake

Urban fishing activity is permitted, and the lake is stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Please use the recycling bins for fishing line and tackle to prevent wildlife entanglements and injuries.

Delong Lake

Pacific loons and common loons nest in Delong Lake, situated east of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

The lake is stocked by Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Check local regulations before participating in urban fishing activities.

Please use the recycling bins for fishing line and tackle to prevent wildlife entanglements and injuries.

Sand Lake

Common loons visit and have nested on Sand Lake. Just south of Ted Stevens International Airport, large jets can be seen passing overhead to the west as they take off and land.

The lake has private residences, many with boat or float plane docks. A portion of the lake shore is a wetland preserve. This lake is a popular spot for recreational activities, such as fishing, rowing, motorboating, and swimming.

Please use the recycling bins for fishing line and tackle to prevent wildlife entanglements and injuries.

Lake Hood

Red-throated loons are summer residents of Lake Hood, located in west Anchorage. The Lake Hood Seaplane Base, one of the busiest floatplane harbors in the world, is located at this lake.

While urban fishing activity is not permitted, the lake offers excellent viewpoints for visitors to observe wildlife and seaplanes.

Common loon spreading wings and stretching on water.

Jewel Lake

Urban fishing activity is permitted, and the lake is stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

University Lake

Check local regulations before participating in urban fishing activities.

Sundi Lake

Pacific loons visit Sundi Lake, situated near Sand Lake and Jewel Lake. Part of the lake is surrounded by private residences and the remainder by wetland preserve.

Check local regulations before participating in urban fishing activities.

Goose Lake

Local updates are posted near the entrance. Check local regulations before participating in urban fishing activities.

Westchester Lagoon

The lagoon offers ample recreational opportunities like fishing, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, and bird watching. Be sure to check out the new bird viewing platform at the Westchester Waterfowl Sanctuary on the east side of the lagoon near the mouth of Chester Creek!

Support Local Loons

Loon awareness sign at Sundi Lake. — *Signs and recycling bins at Anchorage lakes. Credit: USFWS*

Jewel Lake recycling bins and loon awareness signs. — *Signs and recycling bins at Anchorage lakes. Credit: USFWS*

In Anchorage and beyond, loons are particularly important to our understanding of environmental health, as they are sensitive and responsive to habitat changes in both freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Loon populations worldwide are declining due to habitat loss, human disturbance, and environmental pollution from heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Lead is toxic to loons and other wildlife when ingested and often leads to death. Death from lead poisoning has been shown to have population-level effects on common loons in areas of the lower 48 states.

You can help loons by:

Love a Loon, Lose the Lead — *Logo by USFWS for Anchorage Loons, Line, and Lead outreach effort.*

Leaving the shoreline of lakes, islands and marshy areas undeveloped.
Keep pets on leashes unless you are in a designated off-leash area and your pet is under voice control.
Recycling fishing line to prevent loons and other wildlife from becoming entangled.
Use non-toxic, lead-free fishing tackle like steel, tin, tungsten, and bismuth sinkers and asking your local retailer to keep these alternatives in stock.
Picking up hooks and tackle.