Pacific Loon Saturday - Beatiful View, Difficult Approach
Steve Sanford (tanager@bcpl.net)
Sat, 30 May 1998 19:42:56 -0400
I, and many other birders, had an excellent visit with the Pacific Loon
around noon on Saturday. It was on the Potomac side of the Hains Point
loop road about 1/2 mile (?) west of the point, near a rest room. It
approached within 20 feet of the edge for a while. I heard that it had
been seen on the channel side earlier.
What a spectacular, breeding-plumage bird!
But what a lot of trouble to get to it!
For those coming from Baltimore or vicinity, the government has
barricaded the DC area with construction. I went down the BW Parkway and
was held up 1/2 hour around Rt 197 (or 198??). Proceeding down I 295 in
hopes of catching I-395, I couldn't find any access to it and was held
up another 20 minutes to boot. I ended up crossing the Wilson Bridge and
went thru Alexandria to I-395 north where it was fairly easy to follow
the signs into the park and to Hains Point.
Then my car died. After 90 mins AAA gave me a jump-start. I decided to
go back thru Alexandria since I knew that worked. Then my car died again
on I-395 in a most horrifying way! No electricity meant no turn signals,
horn, and virtually no brakes. AAA towed me to a garage which will check
it out Monday, and I rented a car.
I returned via Alexandria and took the Capitol Beltway (pleasantly
uncongested) to I-95 this time, but there was about a 45 minute delay on
I-95 around the PG/How Co line, and there appeared to be a corresponding
delay in the other direction.
It appears this construction will be there tomorrow too, so anyone
coming from the north, be forewarned. It might be best to take Rt 1, or
29, or 301 to the DC area this weekend.
But it WAS a spectacular bird.
--
Steve Sanford
Randallstown MD
tanager@bcpl.net
Note the new simplified address