It's peak summer on Minnesota's Gull Lake Chain. Boats are buzzing, jet skis slicing and loons are calling. "So it sounds like a territorial challenge that's starting," said Sheila Johnston, listening ...

Minnesota’s state bird is everywhere: There are loons on license plates and library cards, at lottery counters, and now even on the official state seal. Fireplace mantels across the state sport carved ...

Sheila Johnston on Upper Gull Lake on June 24. She's long loved photographing loons, but one experience led her to become an advocate for protecting the Minnesota state bird.

Minnesota chose the common loon as its state bird in 1961 because lawmakers and bird experts agreed that no other animal ...

The national honor bestowed upon the official state bird of Minnesota earlier this month confirms what Minnesotans already know well — just how special the loon is. The common loon is known for its ...

… but our independent journalism isn’t free to produce. Help us keep it this way with a tax-deductible donation today. A migratory diver of the loon family, the common loon (Gavia immer) has been ...

DULUTH — A citizen science effort that began 30 years ago and has accumulated reams of data on Minnesota's loon population still needs more volunteers to check for loons on northern lakes this summer.

Minnesota (WCCO) — It’s peak summer on Minnesota’s Gull Lake Chain. Boats are buzzing, jet skis slicing and loons are calling. “So it sounds like a territorial challenge that’s starting,” said Sheila ...