![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/common-loon-8372-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-loon-8372-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nSome readers who are “in the know” may have wondered why I haven’t posted any Common Loon photos recently. After all, loons are migrating now, there’s been an unusually large number of them on valley ponds and one of those ponds is one that I visit frequently. The answer is complicated but it primarily revolves around the fact that getting good light on the loons requires walking around the pond while carrying my heavy gear (including tripod) and my bad back just can’t tolerate it.<\/p>\n
However, I did try one time – nine days ago. I couldn’t walk far enough to get the best light but I did get a couple of partially side-lit photos that I think are interesting enough to share.<\/p>\n
It all began with a loon fight. I never got quality photos of both of the birds fighting, only of the fight’s aftermath.<\/p>\n
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1\/8000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n While they were fishing the two loons typically stayed far away from each other but occasionally one of them would submerge, swim a long distance underwater and ambush the other loon in a surprise attack from below. Cornell’s Birds of the World describes it this way:<\/p>\n “Underwater attacks can occur when one bird swims directly under another and tries to impale the victim on ventral side with its bill. Sometimes during these fights, one bird will hold the other bird’s head underwater, possibly for a period of a minute or more, before the weaker bird escapes. Necropsies reveal that > 50% of individuals examined (n = 200) have healed sternal punctures consistent with injuries inflicted by a loon bill.”<\/em><\/p>\n As suggested by Cornell, sometimes one of the combatants will be injured or killed but thankfully that didn’t happen this time. This photo was taken of the victor in a threat display as the loser of the fight was escaping stage right. The ripples and waves in the water that were caused by the furious fighting are still evident in the photo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/6400, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Then the same loon performed a victory wing flap.<\/p>\n Proper exposure of these black and white birds in the side light was a challenge but with a little work on the blacks during processing these two photos didn’t turn out too bad.<\/p>\n OK, now I’ve posted a couple of loon action shots. Maybe that’ll scratch my loony itch.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/common-loon-8440-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-loon-8440-ron-dudley\\"")
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