This is the collector's print for summer 2005. To view the collector's prints for the other seasons, click here.

"The loon has always been a fascinating bird to me and is a favorite to anyone who has ever shared a lake with them. It is the “State Bird” of Minnesota and every year they migrate north to our thousands of lakes from their wintering grounds on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. They fly at 90 miles per hour so it does not take them long to make the trip. On arrival they announce themselves with what many people consider the most beautiful call of any animal in the world. Only the wolf, another one of my neighbors, may have a more evocative or memorable song. Judd Lake, in my backyard, will be chosen by a pair for their nest, and then we will have a few months to familiarize ourselves with each other. They are reclusive and solitary by nature, but if I am careful they may trust me enough to get close to them to make their portrait. If we could see a photograph of them from 70 million years ago, they would look the same as they do today. They have not changed much since the dinosaurs were alive and are the oldest bird in North America. They can dive to depths of 250 feet, and stay underwater as long as five minutes. The loon is an expert swimmer but it cannot walk on land. When they resurface after extended fishing, they do a little preening with their feathers and will often spread and flap their wings." - Jim Brandenburg