Herb Cilley '48, '65G, the loon ranger of Bow Lake.

The Man Who Laughed with Loons

There are few moments in life so distinct as to be truly unforgettable, but the first time you hear the eerie cry of a loon is one of them. Part of the mystique of this beautiful bird is the fact that you seldom get to see one, and almost never up close. That's why Herb Cilley is so remarkable.

For 30 years, Cilley has been a tireless ambassador on behalf of the loons that summer on the Bow Lake in Strafford, N.H., where he lived for many years. The loons have rewarded him by allowing him to get closer to them than most wildlife experts would believe possible--close enough to touch. "I studied loons in the wild for years and couldn't get within a half-mile of them," says William Barklow, a biologist and expert on loon calls. "When I visited Herb for the first time in 1985, he brought me closer than I'd ever been before."

The three pairs of nesting loons on Bow Lake trusted Cilley so much that they began bringing their chicks to his dock for safekeeping while they fished. It was during one of these visits that Cilley discovered something new about loons: in addition to their familiar quavering cry, they have another, quiet call, a "mew, mew, mew, like a kitten," as he describes it--a call previously unknown to ornithologists.

Cilley was born and raised in Concord, N.H., and earned a B.A. at UNH in 1948 and a master's in botany in 1965. He worked for the university's facilities department for his entire career, retiring in 1981. "Once I retired, I had time and an inordinate amount of patience," Cilley explains, so he decided to get to know his loon neighbors better. He began patroling the lake in a small boat, recording the loons' calls and playing them back. Slowly, the birds became as interested in him as he was in them.

While he was observing the loons, Cilley was also doing a lot of reading about them and about birds in general. "Through no intention of my own, I became a recognized authority on loons," he says modestly. Over the years, he estimates, he has taken more than 1,700 people out in his boat to see the loons, including journalists and cameramen from "New Hampshire Crossroads" and "Good Morning America," and even naturalist filmmaker David Attenborough.

A couple of years ago, Cilley began to suffer debilitating arthritis in his legs, and he had to give up his unofficial responsibilities as the Loon Ranger of Bow Lake. He and his wife, Anne, a former extension specialist at UNH, lead a quieter life now at Langdon Place in Dover. He spends a lot of time reading, mostly nature and photography magazines.

In April, Cilley received the David Brower Outstanding Conservationist Award from the Sierra Club. And in July the Cilleys will attend dedication ceremonies for a new building that they have donated to the Hill Library in Strafford.

Although he is no longer able to watch over the loons directly, his friends and neighbors from Bow Lake call him frequently to report on the birds and ask for his advice. "What is important is that his attitude never changes," Anne says proudly. "For Herb, there's always something to discover."

--Anne Downey '95G

Return to Alumni Profiles