Common Loon (Gavia immer), Okanagan Region, British Columbia, Canada.

I climbed out of my tent well before dawn. Kayaking on glassy water as the sun rose, the horizon grew brighter and brighter. All the while, the haunting calls of Common Loons resonated through the cold morning air. Upon reaching my destination after a 3km paddle, I spent a beautiful morning photographing this elegant water bird. As the sun broke through a hole in the clouds, this Loon was brilliantly illuminated against a backdrop of shadowed spruce trees.