Common Loons spend little time on land and literally have to pull themselves onto land to nest. They generally move one foot at a time to walk, shuffling along with their breast close to the ground. When returning to the water, the loon slides in along its breast and stomach. At night, loons sleep over deeper water, away from land, for protection from predators. In spring, loons arrive on northern lakes as soon as the ice thaws.
Loons are solitary nesters.
Larger lakes may have more than one pair of breeding loons, with each pair occupying a bay or section of the lake. Until recently, loons were thought to mate for life. However, banding studies have shown that loons will sometimes switch mates after a failed nesting attempt and even between nesting attempts in the same season. Courtship and mating are a quiet time, with the pair swimming and making short dives together. Eventually, the male leads the female to a suitable spot on land to mate.