MONMOUTH, Maine — Update 1/4/22:
A loon rescued from a frozen pond near Tacoma Lakes was released Tuesday, officials say.
Monmouth Fire Department Chief Dan Roy tipped a box holding the loon into the shallows of Penobscot Bay, releasing the bird, according to a Facebook post written by Avian Haven.
“The loon swam out into the water with barely a look back, taking long dives interspersed with episodes of flapping,” the post stated. “The water was flat calm and, in contrast to the gloomy fog of rescue day, sunlight on the water turned its appearance to gold. The loon seemed VERY glad to be out of an indoor pool and back into the natural world!”
Original Story 1/3/22:
Editor’s note: The above video aired in August 2021.
A Maine fire department came to the rescue of a loon that could not take flight from a frozen pond.
The Kennebec Journal reports that Monmouth firefighters worked about two hours Sunday to free the bird, which was stranded about a quarter-mile from shore from Sand Pond in Tacoma Lakes.
The problem for the birds at this time of the year is that ice can leave them without enough open water to take off.
The loon was in open water, but it was unable to take flight because of the ice.