[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This winter plumaged Pacific Loon was photographed at the mouth of the Manasquan River, New Jersey. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: March 1992)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This Pacific Loon in flight was photographed at the Northwest Point seawatch at the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1989)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This winter plumaged Pacific Loon was photographed at the San Pedro Breakwater in Los Angeles, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: July 1979)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage was photographed at Chincoteague NWR, Virginia. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: May 1981)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This winter plumaged Red-throated Loon was photographed at the mouth of the Manasquan River, New Jersey. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: March 1992)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 36 in.]

This Red-throated Loon molting into breeding plumage was photographed at the San Pedro Breakwater in Los Angeles, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: July 1979)

[Length 35 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

Yellow-billed Loons breed in the high Arctic regions of northcentral and northwestern Canada and northern Alaska. They winter off the southern coast of Alaska, western coast of Canada, and the extreme northwestern coast of the US. Every year a few are reported south of this area along the west cost of the US and even fewer are reported inland on large lakes. Amazingly, this Yellow-billed Loon was discovered along the southeastern coast of Texas in late December 2000 by Scarlet and George Colley, who run Colley's Fins to Feathers Photo Safaris boat tours out of South Padre Island, Texas. It is one of the southernmost records for the continental United States! This photo was taken from the Colley's tour boat off South Padre Island four months later in late April 2001 as the bird was molting heavily from winter plumage to breeding plumage. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2001)

[Length 35 in. Wingspan 49 in.]

Amazingly, this Yellow-billed Loon was discovered along the southeastern coast of Texas in late December 2000 by Scarlet and George Colley, who run Colley's Fins to Feathers Photo Safaris boat tours out of South Padre Island, Texas. This photo was taken from the Colley's tour boat off South Padre Island four months later in late April 2001 as the bird was molting heavily from winter plumage to breeding plumage. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodak Elitechrome 200 film. (Date: April 2001)