Participant Photo: Swim away! Swim Away!

I was observing a loon (winter plumage) for several days in our bay at the lake house. This time, I noticed there were two loons about 200 yards apart. They were both fishing and I noticed they were starting to get close to each other. I thought that this could interesting as I did not know how loons tolerate other adults. They were both beneath the surface and I saw one pop up. Just as I got focus on the bird, the second loon popped up right next to it with a lot of noise. The other starting running across the water very fast and I was able to snag a few photos. The loon looked like a boat that had just planed out. The bird stopped about 200 feet away and resumed fishing. They never got close to each other again. I felt really privileged to witness this event as it happened in a matter of seconds. It was really cool and fun to watch!