By Sally Siko
Although I love living in North Carolina and appreciate the wide diversity of birds found in the Tarheel state, I’ve got a lot of appreciation for the beauty of the north Atlantic region and all the wildlife found up there too.
One such bird I was pleased to encounter while exploring the beaches coastal New Jersey is the Red-throated Loon.
I spotted this handsome fella while birding at Barnegat Lighthouse SP.
I’d been photographing a small flock of Harlequin Ducks on the rock jetty when this little guy popped up from the waves just a few meters away.
Unlike most of my loon encounters where I’m stuck playing hide and seek with the bird as they tend to duck below the water as soon as I lay glass on ‘em, this bird actually stayed on the surface bobbing up and down looking as content as could be.
That allowed me plenty of time to snap off a few photos of the bird before it finally decided to resume hunting again.
So cool!
The smallest of the loons, Red-throated’s undergo a drastic changing of color throughout the year.
During the summer, their heads and necks are grey with a large deep red patch on their throat.
When winter arrives the Red-throated Loon’s head will turn white and the red patch disappears for the season.
This is the plumage pattern which I’m most familiar with since I’ve only encountered the species in December and January.
Red-throated Loons breed in Alaska and throughout Northern Canada when they can be spotted nesting on freshwater lakes, ponds, and bogs.
With autumns arrival the loons head south to spend the cooler months swimming on the ocean along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States.
Relying on their keen vision when hunting prey, they require clear waters when diving in order to spot their favorite food of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. They are strong swimmers and are known to dive to depths approaching 200ft!
Something worth noting if you’re waiting on one to resurface to take a shot, you might be there for a while lol!
By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!
Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5