Common Loon (Gavia immer) - 15Dec2015

Per the Cornell website: "The eerie calls of Common Loons echo across clear lakes of the northern wilderness. Summer adults are regally patterned in black and white. In winter, they are plain gray above and white below, and you’ll find them close to shore on most seacoasts and a good many inland reservoirs and lakes. Common Loons are powerful, agile divers that catch small fish in fast underwater chases. They are less suited to land, and typically come ashore only to nest."

So unfortunately we mostly get the winter plumaged birds.  However, in the spring you can hear them starting to practice the haunting calls which you can't help but loving. The below picture is from Wrightsville Beach.