The function of evening rafting is anyone's guess. It is unlikely that safety in numbers is the answer. On coastal waters loons have few enemies, except possibly the thresher shark. McIntyre suggests the rafting could simply be a behavior which keeps the birds offshore and prevents possible strandings on the beaches in storms. Another possibility she suggests is more subtle. If the loons stay together the probability of roughly synchronous spring departure and subsequent arrival on the breeding grounds increases. This would force all birds to play by the same rules and give none an advantage of early nesting site selection. But since the actual arrival on northern lakes is usually preceded (at least for midwestern and Canadian loons) by a series of stagings on any available open water, the necessity to leave together is questionable. Even when defending their winter feeding territories, loons seldom call. During her research at Assateague, McIntyre heard the yodel occasionally and the tremolo only twice. The melancholy wail apparently is reserved for the solitude of the summer lakes. Other researchers have noted that loons can be found well offshore. Observing from merchant ships several miles offshore, Chris Haney, a University of Georgia researcher, noted that loons and other seabirds were most abundant near upwellings where two currents meet to provide abundant food. The population of wintering birds reaches all the way to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Along the Maine coast a winter survey is conducted annually by the Maine Audubon Society. About 300 loons are sighted annually. Since some areas of the coast were not covered, the total coastal population is probably in the range of 500 birds. The majority of Maine's approximately 3,000 summering loons decide, like many other Maine residents, to spend the winter in a slightly warmer clime. According to Maine Audubon's Jane Arbuckle, Maine's wintering loons do spend the entire season off the Maine coast braving the famous, bitter nor'easters. Paul Strong, one of the cooperators in the winter census, reports that the Maine winter population is composed primarily of single birds and small groups of from two to six loons. He also reports that, at least in Maine, the wintering loons are silent. Over several years of monthly coastal observations, he has yet to hear a loon calling. It may well be that the calling reported by McIntyre occurs only where large concentrations of loons are present. Or it could be that Maine loons are like the stereotypical Maine residentsmstrong and silent. Clearly, loon numbers on the wintering grounds are not what they were in 1907 when Frank Chapman, author of noted in his journal: "They winter in large numbers some distance off the coast. I have seen several thousand in a day east of Hatteras when sailing from New York to Florida." Loons on their wintering waters will get plenty of attention in the future. Winter studies are a high priority for the North American Loon Fund's research grant program. Winter studies are important in determining the mysterious link between summer and winter populations as well as identifying action that may have to be taken to protect loons in winter, the most stressful and hazardous season for loons.