Loons are very awkward on land because their legs are located at the back portion of their body. Loons mate for life and spend their summers together raising their chicks. In the fall and winter months, the adult loons fly to separate wintering locations until courtship time the next spring. Usually two olive green eggs with dark spots are laid in a nest built of grasses and ferns. Nests are located near the water's edge and are often built on an island to limit possible predation.
Loons return to nest sites year after year if left undisturbed.
Once the chicks hatch they take to the water almost immediately, but they tire easily and soon learn that their parents' backs are great for resting on. Once in the air, they are capable of traveling great distances. Young loons are left by their parents at the end of summer to find their own way. The young birds will stay at the lake until it is almost time for the water to freeze. They then fly to the southeast Atlantic coast to spend the next two years.