Sea Loon

The Loon has long been a symbol of Canada. Ask any Canadian what the national bird is, they are likely to say the Loon. ( In fact it is the nondescript Grey Jay.) The Loon graces our one dollar coin, which became the ‘loonie’. (Our two dollar coin became the ‘twonie’, or ‘toonie’.)

Loons are solitary birds, or mated pairs, and are associated with the wilderness. Their high pitched, warbly cry is the sound of the wilderness.

However, in Point Roberts, they are a sign that summer is drawing to a close. Every year, from late August on, they arrive, unannounced, in front of our cottage. There is a rock reef off shore that they seem to like. They sit quietly on the surface, but spend most of their time diving.

This year, three arrived, and were closer to shore than usual. I scrambled to get a good shot, but even at max. zoom, this was the best I could do.

I have always called them ‘sea loons’. Turns out, there is no such thing. Loons migrate from northern lakes and actually spend almost half of their lives in the ocean. They have a unique adaptation that allows them to safely ingest sea water.

They will soon move on to warmer climes.