Pacific Loon at sunset

For most Canadians, the Common Loon is a quintessential icon of endless lakes and summers, but for us Canadians on the West Coast, the smaller and more graceful Pacific Loon is a winter icon in its own right. As the sun set behind the Comox Glacier on the Eastern side of Vancouver Island, I lay down among the rocks on a beach and waited until a few of these elegant loons swam past me, my low angle helping create this unique effect with only the loon’s head showing between the soft waves