unique loon in Solomons
GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Mon, 2 Feb 1998 09:47:29 -0500
Yesterday (2/1/98 - Sunday evening - 4pm) I found a loon at the CBL
pier with a yellow bill. This individual was unique in that both
lower and *upper* mandibles were maize-colored. I have seen a number
of loons in 35 years of birding with the lower mandible a pale, dull,
yellow. This is only the fifth bird I can remember having a maize
upper mandible (3 of those 5 birds were Common Loons; the other 2 were
Yellow-billed Loons).
Posture: more erect (alert look) than normal for a Com. Loon; head
up; bill held at between level and maybe 5 degrees above level; neck
appeared more extended than other Com. Loons in the area.
Bill: both lower and upper mandibles evenly maize-colored; bill
size appeared larger than Common Loons; angle on lower mandible,
however, did not look as sharp as it should be for a YB Loon.
Head and neck: dark on top of head and back of neck; contrasting
white/dark along length of neck; lacking brownn spot behind the eye;
head appears slightly thicker than the neck.
Back: uniformly dark brown.
Overall size: difficult to tell as it was by itself.
I have concluded that this is definitely a Common Loon. It lacks
the sharp angle on the lower mandible, doesn't hold it's bill enough
of an angle above level, is lacking the facial spot behind the eye,
and is generally too contrasting on the neck. It's neck is also
proportionately too thin and the entire bird seems too dark.
My final question about this bird is the about the bill color. How
common/rare is an all yellow bill on a Common Loon. Although my
birding experience has been that this is a very rare feature, I would
like to know other's experiences/comments. And no, I unfortunately
have no picture of this bird.
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Greg Miller
Lusby, MD
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