A common loon flaps its wings, which are short in comparison to its body size. Loons' small wings require them to get a running start to fly, according to Montana Loon Society President Lynn Kelly ...

The chicks are able to fly in about 11 weeks.Erica LeMoine, coordinator of Loon Watch at Northland College in Ashland, said loons have been leaving their eggs behind in northern Minnesota as well.

So why the common loon for a Texas Master Naturalist article? Because each winter they migrate south, sometimes flying as much as 670 miles in one day.

I had the pleasure of participating in winter loon research on Lake Jocassee in South Carolina this past March. Lake Jocassee is a 7,500 acre reservoir where about 150 Common Loons overwinter.

When I see a loon floating all alone out on the Bay or ocean in late winter, I always imagine that they are molting and couldn’t fly even if they wanted to.

The population of the common loon in Maine dipped for the second straight year, but wildlife surveyors said they are heartened by an increased number of the bird's chicks. Efforts are also afoot ...