Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 08:46:14 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Re: Loons at Clopper Lake Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Jane Kostenko and I needed to be in Montgomery Village yesterday so it was = a very convenient detour to Clopper Lake to see the Pacific Loon. We = arrived there around 9:45 and went to the tire playground where we saw the = adult breeding and first summer Common Loons close together near the = Kingfisher Overlook. The Pacific Loon was nowhere to be seen so we drove = over to the dam then all the way around to the other side of the lake = where we spied the Pacific Loon right where we had originally been. D'oh!! So, we packed up and went back to the tire playground where the Pacific = Loon eventually swam within about 10 yards. It was absolutely frame = filling and more in the scope. When it swam head-on you could see the = chinstrap clearly. The easiest field mark on this bird from any distance = is the clear demarcation of the dark hindneck and the white foreneck. The = first summer Common Loon shows a smooth gradation of white foreneck to = dark hindneck. Rick Sussman's note about the combed appearance of the = crown and nape were true during our viewing and must have something to do = with it's frequent diving and water watching. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time and needed to leave without being = able to fully appreciate this bird. If my recollection is right, the = Conowingo loon was there in 2 successive winters? and Jim Stasz photographe= d a Pacific Loon at the Ocean City inlet. This would constitute the 3rd or = 4th state record and certainly the first for Montgomery. Kudos to Dave = Powell for finding this exceptionaly bird! Thanks also to Dave Czaplak for = the great photos of the bird on the same day as it's discovery. Tyler Bell bell@acnatsci.org California, MD Wave that flag...wave it wide and high! Grateful Dead, U.S. Blues =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================