common loon

This is an adult in winter plumage lacking the scaly appearance on the back of the juvenile. The small white spots seen here are water droplets as this bird bathes by rising out of the water with a combination of wing-flapping and body shake.

Windy day ,rocky boat ,late evening

Not the least bit shy about exposing him/herself, this loon! I think this had better be the last shot I share of him/her, lest I be banned for indecency ;)

The loon seemed to be on an endlessly playback loop, doing the "same procedure" over and over ... including this "pose", which reminded me of one taken by Freddie Frinton in "Dinner for One&quot...

Common Loon in Safety Sound near Nome, Alaska.

This Common Loon put on a great bathing show with a lot of wash, rinse, shake dry, and repeat. Here it's in shake dry phase, but seems to be saying "Ta daaaa!" while showing off a "belly button" ;)

This loon appears to be transitioning from immature/non-breeding to breeding plumage

This winter plumaged bird recently turned up on my local patch and seems to have taken a liking to the local crabs. It seems to have a particularly dark full neck collar and when I first saw it at a distance I wondered if it had something wrapped around its neck, but a closer view showed that...

Common Loon (Gavia immer) Non-breeding plumage. 200+ m from shore so a big crop. There were three loons present (two in the frame) and all were being harassed (kleptoparasitised) by four Ring-billed Gulls). Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Rivers Bend Park, Bell County, Texas, USA. A crossroads of the...

Comments on my Loon post from Monday included some who especially like seeing Loons in breeding plumage. This one isn't quite there yet, but certainly headed in that direction. OK. Now I've had a relaxing morning. I'll just take another short nap, then out to explore the city a bit before the...

There were loads of loons - at least two species of them (common and red-throated) on the ocean around Pt. Reyes the day before, but I was high up on the bluffs and they were deep in the fog below. Luckily there were some common loons that came quite close at the small boat harbour in Bodega Bay...

This guy came in close and was watching me watch him (or her lol)

One thing I enjoy about working near the water is seeing the visitors that drop by from time to time.

This Loon had just caught and ate a good size fish, so why not be happy.

My first Common Loon (lifer #220), seen at King Salmon, south of Eureka, California on Humboldt Bay.

If you have never heard their calls in the middle of the night, you are missing a lot.

A couple years ago when we were at Spruce Island Camp in Ontario I had my digiscope along but couldn't use it on a bobbing boat so this time I had the handy SX50 along and it didn't let me down.

Dont see many of these around these parts. Really liking the migrants around this time of year

Also found this wintering Common Loon in a small cove working on this crab. I didn't know that loons were shellfish eaters but he managed to crack the shell and get at the good stuff although it took him a while.

Even tho I couldn't get to the park where the snowy's were my first day at Mass. coast I did manage to find these loons (in winter dress) near a local boat launch.