Another title I had thought of for this painting could’ve been, “Where do Loons Sleep?” With their legs located so far to the rear, walking on land is a real chore for loons. They are very awkward on land and more than likely fully realize how vulnerable they are to predators. In fact, the only time I’ve seen them on land is when they sit on a nest, the nest only being a few feet from the water’s edge. With their legs situated so far back, however, makes them excellent divers and swimmers. On the other hand, ducks have their legs positioned closer to the center of their bodies so they walk on land much better than loons. I’ve seen ducks with their bills in their backs catching a snooze both on land and water. I highly suspected loons slept on the water where they’re more comfortable and early one morning just after sunrise a pair drifted right by our dock. When I first saw them, their eyelids were even shut but the click from the shutter of my camera brought both eyelids to half-staff. I was at the end of the dock, only about 15 feet away and as soon as they realized I was no threat the eyelids closed again. They were in so much of a slumber that they never made a ripple with a kick from their feet, the lake currents moved them. I knew they must’ve been tired because they had yodeled the entire night under a full moon.
