…with a Red-throated Loon! Although I know this loon is apparently unafraid of anyone, when it perks up upon noticing me, dives and comes very close, it is tempting to think this loon is also in love with me. The last time I went out to the Lake Hood seaplane/float plane area, I did not see the Red-throated Loon and I thought that it might be gone, but this morning the loon was in one of the two spots where I’ve seen it before. At first it was quite a ways out, dozing, waking briefly, stretching and dozing again, but eventually it drifted a bit nearer and noticed me and came over to check me out. I think it was about 4-5 feet from me for about 10 minutes, watching me intently with its red eye, before it either got bored, or realized that I was not going to feed it, and it drifted away (I suspect someone has fed it to make it so tame). If you listen closely to the first video below, you can hear it gently saying sweet nothings to me (in spite of the background noise of floatplanes). Another very nice encounter with a loon.
PS. Perhaps there is a reason I used to be called “Loonie Lynnie”.
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 