A Hint of Winter

Here is perhaps one of the most subtle hints of what lies ahead! This is the mother loon and she's following a change that happens to all loons every fall. If you look closely at her face/neck area, you will see a patch of grey-whitish feathers. This is the start of the transformation that takes all loons from a beautifully marked bird with a "loon's necklace" to a drab looking bird with no contrasting markings at all. By the end of the fall season, and throughout the winter months in southern climates, the loon doesn't resemble what most of us know as a loon. In fact, you have to look pretty hard to even recognize the bird. And come late springtime, she'll slowly start to change back to her summer splendor!