Visitor from the north

This being Christmas eve, I know we are all expecting a special visitor from the north country. And so, I should not have been surprised to come upon this fine bird which I normally associate with the Adirondacks and points north. I had heard reports of a Pacific loon on Greenwood Lake in southeastern New York, and so my wife Sharon and I took off in heavy rains and high winds to see if we could photograph this rarity. Well, after a 45 minute drive through dense fog and rain, we arrived at the site to find a loon......not the rare Pacific loon, but a bird uncommon in these parts of the state, the Common loon. We were able to observe the bird and get close enough to photograph it (albeit in not the best lighting!) from the comfort of our car. We were able to park on a wharf owned by a local marina and the bird came to visit us....an early Christmas present. Even when you miss the "target bird" as we did today, you can always count on Mother Nature to offer some tangible reward for your time and effort. Today was no different.