A Rare Take-Off

A Loon creates a considerable commotion during take-off. The sunlight illuminating the loon and the flying spray against the dark background created what is one of my all-time favorite wildlife photographs.

Seldom have I witnessed Loons taking flight as they usually avoid intruders by quietly slipping under the water’s surface to reappear quite some distance away a couple of minutes later.

Shaking Off, Common Loon

A Loon, finished with fishing for the moment flaps its wings

I love watching the loons whenever I am on the lake. Most times they will be calmly sitting on the water closely observing their surroundings. Occasionally I have observed them intent upon fishing and at these times I can usually approach rather closely with the boat. This was the case on this day as the loon had located a large school of small fish and had been busily engaged while I made my approach.

After the school of fish disappeared, this Loon practically stood erect on the water shaking the water from its feathers. I like this shot not only for the subject but also the colors of the reflections on the water.

Common Loon

There is nothing common about the beautiful contrast and colors of the Common Loon.

Today I splashed my little boat for the first time this spring and took to the water in search of images. The air temp was 29 F this morning with a stiff North/North West breeze. This was my first attempt at photographing birds from the boat. Bobbing about in the small waves, driving the boat with a foot controlled electric motor, and trying to manipulate a 400mm lens all at the same time was quite a chore. Many of my shots ended in the recycle bin but there were enough keepers to make the morning more than a success.

This Loon allowed me to approach within about 30 yards. After I had shot about 40 images it tired of the game and dived. In a few minutes it resurfaced some distance away and I moved on in search of other subjects. The Osprey on my new header was another capture from this morning's boating excursion.

I will continue to post shots from our Florida trip interspersed with shots that I am currently capturing.