Chameleon Common Loons

A month or so ago, I wrote about seeing loons sporting different colored plumage. I saw loons with a band of deep green on their necks... I saw loons with a band of deep blue on their necks... I saw loons with a black band on their necks. That left me wondering and searching for a reason.

I was initially wondering if this was a sign of maturity... adolescence... breeding... or nesting. It turns out it was none of the above.

I've found that the appearance of green or blue or purplish bands on some loons is simply due variables such as the angle of the light, wet or dry feathers, and the color temperature of the light. For example, near dusk or near sunrise, the color temperature is a very warm orange or yellow yet the color temperature at high noon is a much colder blue. When you combine these varying lighting scenarios with the angle to wet feathers, you can see different colors.  

Even when you hold a clean, fresh bird feather in your hand, you can oftentimes see a changing iridescence in the color as you move the feather around. If you look at an all-black bird such as a Starling, you also see a changing iridescence... sometimes blue, sometimes green, sometimes a rainbow of colors.

So, I've attributed the different color loons I've seen lately to lighting conditions and the angle to which I was viewing them in relationship to the light. 

Below are two examples of vastly different colored Common Loons. As you can clearly see, the coloring of the scenes is vastly different too... one scene is very blue (midday sun) and the other scene is darker with reflected green from all the foliage. The color temperature of the light as well as the overall brightness of the light is affecting the appearance due to reflected light and refracted light bouncing throughout the scene...

High and bright midday sun is causing the lake scene to be illuminated by the 
big deep blue sky which causes blue to be cast throughout the scene.

Early morning sun, which is far less bright than midday sun, lacks the deep blue sky
reflecting across everything in the scene.  In this case, the green foliage is dominant
and is reflected throughout the scene instead of the blue sky.

These two photos also show how the high and overly bright midday sun can wash out photographs. It is best to shoot photos when the sun is lower in the sky. The bottom image has deeper color, warmer color, better tones, better contrast, and softer shadows. The problem with shooting photos in the early morning or at dusk is it can be very dark which makes focus difficult and it creates a lot of fuzzy, noisy images. 

Even considering the two aforementioned difficulties, I prefer the bottom early morning photo best.