Pacific Loon at Hains Point
ClodvigII@aol.com
Wed, 27 May 1998 17:23:32 EDT
Between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. had two good long distance scope views and one
close-up look at the Pacific Loon as it moved upriver from near the Officers'
Club, crossing over to the Ohio Drive side and then returning to the other
side.
The light rather miserable with a light rain off and on, but there was no
mistaking the soft gray, rather rounded head; gray nape, dark throat, straight
black bill --- much daintier (stiletto vs. the dagger) than that of the Common
Loon which was nearby for comparison (not in the same scope view). When the
bird was preening, I noted a straight and fairly regular demarcation between
the dark upperparts and the white underparts, seeing no bulge of white up into
the black near the rump, nor was any white along the sides or rump visible
when it was still on the water.
Anyone out there able to help with the separation of Pacific and European race
of Arctic Loon? It seems to me I should have tried to count the number of
white stripes along the side of the neck or some such exercise.
A great morning in D.C. with two Yellow-billed Cuckoos in the trees above to
liven up the landbird scene.
I fled as the buses began to arrive.
Lou Nielsen
Reisterstown, MD
clodvigii@aol.com