Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 10:08:01 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: John Staples Subject: Re: Loons at Clopper Lake In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed This will have to go on list as you did not leave an email address: 270 north to exit 10 Clopper Road, be sure to get on service road before the exit as you can't get there from the center lanes. take Clopper Road headed west to the left turn entrance to Seneca Creek State Park. Proceed past Visitor Center and follow sign with canoe symbol on it to the parking area next to the "tire" playground. There is a map of the park on the bulletin board at the playground, and the lake is in front of you when at the bulletin board. Enjoy! At 09:52 AM 5/31/2002, you wrote: >Sorry to the list if I missed this but could someone provide directions >to Clopper Lake either on the list or privately. I might be able to get >over on Sunday after my BBS route. Thanks! > >Cheers, >Kathy >Laurel MD > > > > > Rick Sussman > To: > MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM > Sent by: Maryland cc: > Birds & Birding Subject: Re: > [MDOSPREY] Loons at Clopper Lake > LSOFT.COM> > > > 05/31/02 08:03 AM > Please respond to > Maryland Birds & > Birding > > > > > >All, > I went out to Clopper Lake this afternoon (Thursday, May 30) to see >if the loons were still present. Parking at the Kingfisher overlook >lot, I ran into Hans Holbrook as he was leaving (about 4:15, I think). >He said he had great looks at all 3 birds from the far side of the >lake, so that's where I headed. >I crossed the bridge and took a left onto the Lake Shore/MinkHollow Trail >(blue and white slashes painted on the trees). The two 1st summer birds >were >actively feeding not far from shore a little ways down the trail, as viewed >from very near the edge of the lake. The adult Common Loon was further out >in >the water and also further down the lake, and was not involved with any >interaction with the other two while I watched. >The two 1st summer birds were actively peering into the water, with heads >under the surface, and actively diving for food for the 45 minutes I >watched. >On a few occasions the Pacific would get chased away by the larger Common, >which seemed to be defending a feeding territory. The Pacific let out a low >sort of "growling" noise at least twice as it flew/swam away from the >Common >Loon. > As Bob Mumford noted, the bill of the Pacific did to me, also, seem a bit >downcurved (and much slimmer and narrower than the dagger-like bill of the >Common), and the feathers on the nape/neck were what appeared to pin >feathers >just coming in, and gave the bird a rather "combed" look on the neck. This >may have been accentuated by the fact that it was diving and these feathers >were wet. It didn't appear to have any hint of a chin strap, at least not >in >my view through my scope (40x at about 35-50 feet). The back of the smaller >Pacific is much darker than the mottled gray color of the 1st summer Common >Loon. > > Folks should make an effort to see these birds before they leave >(though I'd love to see them stay). Pacific Loon is not listed at all >on the Montgomery County checklist, and it may be a first county >record. > >Rick Sussman >Ashton,MD >warblerick@aol.com > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= John Staples Great Falls, VA sigmafinancial@erols.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================