Winter-vacationing Red-throated Loon visits Beltzville

Red-throated Loon during breeding season

The Red-throated Loon, which in North American breeds as far north as the Aleutian Islands and the Arctic provinces of Canada, has made an unusual wintertime appearance in the greater Lehigh Valley.

A single loon was seen on December 3 at Beltzville State Park in Carbon County, according to Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern PA Birdine, a project of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

The smallest of the loons, the duck-like Red-throated is seldom seen far from salt water, and it does not venture far out to sea. Rarely will it be seen this far inland, according to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity, a must-have publication of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. There may be several years in a row where it is not seen at all.

The Red-throated Loon forages in shallow bays and estuaries where it feeds on fish, mollusks, frogs, crustaceans, insects and fish spawn. It has the ability to stay underwater for one minute or longer.

The loon is attractive during breeding season. It has a distinctive bright rusty red patch on the throat, which contrasts with its dark gray head and neck. Before the birds leave their breeding areas for the winter, they molt and produce a nondescript gray back speckled with white, giving the bird an overall light gray appearance. The throat and face become white. Juveniles are brownish gray overall.

Unlike most loons, which must paddle furiously across the surface of the water to become airborne, the Red-throated Loon can spring into the air from land. That's necessity because they aren't very good at walking.

The Red-throated Loon is a global bird, traveling to Portugal, the Mediterranean and China for the winter.

The Red-throated Loon faces threats from oil spills, degradation of habitat and entanglement in fishing nets, especially in Alaska. The saving grace for this species is that it has a very large range and the declines are not rapid enough to warrant special concern.

Copies of Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity are available for sale at The Bird House. The publication is a vital resource for both amateur and veteran birders, and it makes a great Christmas gift.