Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 15:25:13 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kurt Henschen Subject: Pacific Loon Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Saturday morning, two intrepid Northern Virginia birders (Don Stein and I mounted an expedition to find the Pacific Loon that has been hanging around, with two Common Loons, at Clopper Lake in Montgomery County, MD for several weeks. We arrived about 8:30 AM. We first found several other birders, who had spotted a loon at the Kingfisher Overlook near the lake's dam. After a lot of looking and bird-guide consulting, this was determined to be one of the Common Loons. This bird's left leg and foot, by the way, were sticking out at an odd angle to the side. It's unclear whether this is an injury, but since the leg remained in this position all the time were viewing it, it seems at least possible. This bird remained in a confined part of lake, moving about only a little. We then traveled to the Boat Dock area of the park (rental rowboats and canoes), and from there, we scanned down the lake, finally spotting another loon (and a Cormorant) several hundred yards away. Both birds dived repeatedly, but resurfaced each time in the same general area. It was too far away for positive identification, so we started down the Blue Trail, which parallels the lake bank, arriving at the point where we had marked its position, some distance up the lake This put it in perfect light and close enough for easy viewing with binoculars; the bird filled a scope's view. We observed this bird (along with another birder, who chipped in his observations and comparisons with Common Loon) for at least 20-minutes, as it preened and presented all sides (and at one point, a good part of its abdomen as it rolled over to groom there ) and this was the Pacific Loon. All the ID points were seen, though the so-called "chin-strap," discribed by other birders, was quite faint. Its back is quite dark, and the bill is clearly less massive and more pointed than the Common Loon. It seemed quite undisturbed by our attention, even though we were fairly close, getting back to the business of chasing fish underwater once the preening was finished, coming quite close to a rowboat from which people were fishing. It was a beautiful look at a very unusual bird. Clopper Lake is a water supply reservoir, part of Seneca Creek State Park, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Both the Kingfisher Overlook and the Boat Dock area are on the same side of the lake, though too far apart for walking; drive between them. From the Kingfisher Overlook it is a short hike (to the right) to the lake's dam. From there, views up much of the lake are possible. (A kingfisher appropriately flew overhead, heading downstream over the dam.) The park is accessable via I-270 to the exits marked for Clopper Road/Quince Orchard Road. Consult your favorite map. It is a beautiful place, a wonderful respite from the surrounding exurbs. There is a $2.00 charge per person entry on Saturday and Sundays; the rest of the week there is no admission charge. A Park Ranger was quite helpful; these birds have obviously drawn a lot of attention and the Ranger seemed to be keeping tabs on them as much as his duties permit. Should you see a Ranger on patrol (SUV's with emergency lights) be sure to ask for help. Kurt Henschen Alexandria, VA __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/ ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================