Loons counted in annual event

The loons have been counted.

Maine Audubon held its annual count of the state's common loons Saturday.

The loon count is a tool that helps conservationists in the state get an idea of how the vulnerable birds are doing.

Recently, signs have been good.

Maine Audubon found last year that there were 3,269 adult loons and 406 loon chicks in the southern half of Maine.

The count has been going on for more than three decades, and those are some of the highest totals.

More than 1,000 volunteers head to the state's lakes and ponds to count the birds every year.