Was nursing my cold staring today out the window at the lower Patuxent
River, practicing counting ruddy ducks, etc., when I notice a bird about
half way across sort of causing a commotion.  Turned out to be a loon, and
it had what appeared to be a (dead) little flounder in it's beak, about the
size of your hand.  The loon held it in it's beak and "chomped" a couple of
times, then dropped it in the water and dunked it two or three times, then
brought it up and chomped it again, dunk it, over and over.  mostly it held
it cross wise in it's bill (a bit hard to distinguish with the flounder).  I
watched this go on for about 15 minutes wondering what was going on.  the
platform of the fish was definitely bigger than the loon's throat, so
thought maybe it was trying to cut in in pieces.  Eventually dismissed that
thought when it came up with the mouth of the fish in the beak with tail
sticking out, and "gulp" down it went, and the loon swam away happily (my
interpretation).

Is this a common feeding practice for a loon (or should that be a feeding
practice for a comon loon)?


Bill Moody
Lexington Park, MD