Yellow-billed Loons...

Miliff (Miliff@aol.com)
Fri, 13 Mar 1998 00:38:30 EST


Hello Ospreyers!

	This is my first post to MDOsprey though I have been listening in the shadows
for a little while.  I extend thanks and praise to Norm and Fran, as well as
to all subscribers, for some interesting discussions and a great listserv.

	With Patty Craig's report of a possible Yellow-billed Loon from St. George's
Island, Saint Mary's County, it seemed an appropriate time to retract my
earlier report of a possible Yellow-billed Loon at Loch Raven Reservoir,
Baltimore County, January 5, 1997.  My photos arrived back in late January
(shortly before I left for Mexico) and confirmed my growing suspicion - that I
had botched the call!  

	It is clear to me now that I was fooled by the lighting and misinterpreted
the field marks as a result.  The light was bright on January 5 and not only
did the bill appear bright and yellowish, but the dark edges to the culmen and
the tomium seemed to vanish (and perhaps the culmen seemed straighter as well,
once the dark line vanished).  Seeing the Common Loon in its place the next
day was suspicious, but in the overcast conditions it was so obviously a
Common Loon, with a curved culmen and dark edges to the culmen and tomium,
that I was convinced it was not the same bird.  Late in the morning though,
the sun came out after the bird had drifted to the far side of the cove.
Under those conditions the bird appeared remarkably like the bird I had seen
the previous day.  I know a number of Ospreyers and others showed up to look
that evening and the next morning, and I apologize to all for the red herring.
Ironically, that was the same day I first saw the Common (Ring-billed) Gull.  

	I'll be down at St. George's Island early Friday morning...maybe I'll get a
life bird 
:-).  I'll be back up in Annapolis by noon and will post something however the
search goes.

 	Best,

    	Marshall Iliff
	miliff@aol.com	
	Annapolis, MD