06/02/2026
My Spark⚡️ Bird. The Common Loon 🥰
Growing up, my family spent at least one month every year camping out on a small lake in Maine.
The lake was home to several families of loons. These red-eyed prehistoric birds spend their days diving underwater, catching fish. At night, they call out to one another. Their haunting, willowy screams frightened me at first.
Later, when I was snorkeling in the lake, a Common Loon swam directly underneath me, close enough to touch. That experience changed a scary nighttime monster into an amazing friend that I shared the water with.
From that summer on, the Common Loons’ cries became welcoming laughter and started me on a path that changed my life.
Here in Las Vegas, we often see Common Loons during the winter and during migration. However, today I was able to see this late migrant in full breeding plumage 😱
