The Waiting Begins

I went down by the lake without much hope as the light was overcast. I took some shots of the old truncated reed stalks, looking for abstract patterns.

I then saw a solitary mallard and thought maybe the female was already nesting somewhere.

And then I noticed a common loon captured in this image, also by himself. Actually, I wasn't sure what the bird was, confusing it with a type of merganser, but Merlin Bird ID helped me out.

However, Wikipedia informed me nesting doesn't begin until May and males arrive before females, so maybe he's waiting for his mate.

Cropped and sharpened with Topaz.