Common Loon: Artiste of the Water
For more than 25 million years, the common loon has been a master of lake living, performing haunting songs, artful dives, and impressive dances
Published:
December 16, 2011
 THE PENGUIN DANCE – Running in place on top of the water is hard work! A loon will only bust this move during courtship or times of great distress.
Photo by Brian M. Collins As the sun sets, my favorite northern lake becomes smooth and glassy.
Tall balsam firs cast perfect reflections onto still water. All is calm
as I sit on a rock at the lake’s edge, coveting a cup of tea in the
slight chill. In an instant, a lone loon calls out with a long, perfect
triplet wail. The sound carries across the lake, echoes from rock to
rock and fills my world with a resonating, ancient music that reaches
deep into my heart. There is an uncommon splendor to Gavia immer, the common loon. Loons have remained more or less unchanged for more than 25 million
years. Despite our wealth of insight into their lives, they are still a
constant source of mystery and wonder, and their haunting sounds place
us fully into our wild lake experience.
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