The Common Loon

We normally see loons on our lake in late March or early April. This one arrived on March 28, and was gone by the next day. Sometimes they will spend up to a week on the lake and we may see two to four at one time. The Common Loon is about 24' long with a 58" wing span. In the winter their backs have a dark color while in the summer their backs are characterized by a cross-banded plumage of black and white. This banding is just becoming evident on this loon. The Common Loon is known for his deep dives, feeding mostly on fish. This one was swimming just off our dock so Joe went down to the dock to get a picture. The loon apparently saw Joe coming and dove under the water and reappeared out at the end of our cove, over 100 yards away when a picture was finally taken. On rare occasions we will hear the Common Loon give his call which sounds like a yodel-laugh, but these calls are mostly saved for the summer months when they reside in Canada.