Common Loon

Loons are often associated with the northern woods (Look, Norman!) where their famous haunting cries echo across deep pine-hemmed lakes at dawn and dusk.

But they can be found in Rhode Island as well as across much of the U.S., wherever the water is clear and deep and provides the plentiful fish they rely upon for feeding – especially perch and sunfish.

During the winter they can be found in bays and estuaries as well, when the inland lakes are frozen. I spotted this one on March 1, 2015, just off Collier Point in Providence… less than a hundred yards from a bridge where busy highway traffic passed overhead and tugs waited for commercial ships that come into the Port of Providence.

Common Loon in winter plumage. © Jason Major — *Common Loon (Gavia immer) in winter plumage. © Jason Major*

Typically shown in their breeding plumage of stark black and white, in the fall and winter (Sept.–March) loons assume a more subdued gray coloration.

Loons are surprisingly large compared to other diving birds and ducks and can reach 2-3 feet in length, as illustrated in this photo from a few days later further south in the upper Bay.

Bufflehead and Loon near Passeonkquis Cove, Warwick. © Jason Major

FAST FACT:
Loons require a very long area to take flight – at least 30 yards – and can become stranded on ponds that are too small.

Although not endangered loons rely on a clean environment to feed, nest, and breed. Successful conservation efforts have seen them returning to formerly loon-free areas.

Personally I have always had a particular affinity for Common Loons, mostly due to my dad who thought they were the coolest birds ever. He associated them with Maine and New Hampshire (even though they are on Canadian coins!) which were his favorite places to visit. Today every time I spot one I think of my dad, and how much he’d get a kick out of it. But then we’re all a little loony inside, aren’t we? 🙂