This loon surfaced in front of our boat during a twilight creek cruise (December 2004). My favorite part of this photo is the drop of water that catches a tiny ray of light, right at the end of his beak. The loon is a large dark bird with a boat-shaped body that rides very low in the water, a snaky head on its long thick neck, and a long narrow sharp-pointed and sharp-edged bill for catching fish. It has the peculiar ability to sink gradually until it disappears without leaving a ripple. Presently, some distance away, it emerges just as mysteriously.