Carol,
The answer is yes; immature Common Loons do not migrate--at least, they
do not go all the way back to their breeding grounds until they are adults
and ready to breed. Several years ago, when my late husband and I took the
6-hour boat trip from Houghton, MI (on the Upper Peninsula of MI), out to
Isle Royale National Park, in the middle of Lake Superior, we had an
excellent lecture on Common Loons given by some local researchers. They
explained that, like many other species, loons do not go back to their
breeding grounds until they are ready to breed, which I think is 2 or 3
years. One of the reasons for this (perhaps the main reason) is that they
do not need to be there competing for food with adults who are feeding the
current year's crop of chicks. I suspect the loon you saw was not in
breeding plumage.
Good birding,
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Carol Sottili" <carol.sottili@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:53 AM
To: <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Common Loon
While sitting on the beach in Ocean City, Md. this past Sunday, I saw
an immature common loon in the ocean. It was diving and looked to be
in good health. Do immatures sometimes not migrate?
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