Northeast Washington Birders: The Unique Common Loon

There is nothing "common" about loons. Even the human variety are uniquely distinct from the ordinary (ha ha). We are fortunate to have the opportunity to see the Common Loon, both during the breeding season on our mountain lakes, and in the winter on Lake Roosevelt.

Breeding loons can be seen at such places as the Little Pend Oreille Lakes, Big Meadow Lake, and Pierre Lake. These normally shy diving birds apparently have made peace with the active summer recerationalists (just made that word up) on these water bodies. The birds are expert anglers and undoubtedly do better than most of the two-legged kind.

Adult Common Loons, with leg bands,, Pierre Lake, Stevens Co., WA

Adult Common Loon, photo courtesy the Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

If you want to take a good respectful look at the Common Loon try the north end of Pierre Lake. There is a turn out area at the very north end where you can safely pull off. Walk a short distance back toward the Forest Service camp ground and watch for the marvelous birds. And watch out for cars and trucks! . On a recent visit there I spotted three adults and one juvenile (hatched this year). With a good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope, you may be able to see leg bands on the adults; a silver one above a green one on one of the legs. Do you see them in the top photo above?

In the early winter it is common to see adult and immature Common Loons in Lake Roosevelt, especially at the mouth of the Colville River, off of the Colville Flats and in and around Haag Cove in Ferry County. The adults in non-breeding plumage look a lot like immature Common Loons. Their larger body size and stouter bills distinguish them from Western Grebes, Horned Grebes, and Red-necked Grebes, also wintering in our area,

There are only five living species of loon worldwide and they are the only members of their own Order Gaviiformes ,and Family, the Gaviidae, with one Genus, Gavia. The Common Loon is by far the most common (duh), and we sometimes get a rare fall/winter sighting of a Red-throated Loon, and very rarely a Pacific Loon.

Below are images of three loon species in non-breeding/immature plumage for comparison. All photos below are courtesy the Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Top: Common Loon, Middle: Pacific Loon, Bottom: Red-throated Loon.