Loon At Sunset
this would be far more dramatic without the leggy baby, but here we are
Known as a Great Northern Diver in the UK, though “Loon” has an interesting origin too. It comes from Scandinavian words for “lame,” like the Swedish lam; the loon’s large webbed feet make it less than graceful on land.
Common loons are mainly Nearctic. During their breeding season in spring and summer, most common loons live on lakes and other waterways in Alaska and Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Jan Mayen, and in Bear Island- and occasionally Scotland, too.
They usually winter along coasts in drab grey coats, migrating to the nearest body of water that will not freeze over in the winter- like US Florida, UK, France, and Spain.