Re: The DC Pacific Loon
Ellen Paul (epaul@dclink.com)
Tue, 02 Jun 1998 05:55:22 -0700
Regarding "tameness" -
I don't think one can conclude from the fact that the bird does not
avoid people that it is tame. It is more likely that it is merely
habituated to the presence of people. Surely, that could happen if the
bird is an escapee, but it's entirely possible that it simply happened
because birds habituate to all sorts of things. Like the noise and the
overflights from the airport, for instance. In fact, experimental
evidence suggests that the constant presence of a disturbance is more
likely to result in habituation than an occasional disturbance.
As for the possibility that it's an escapee, I don't know how many folks
raise loons in the private sector (probably not many) and zoo birds are
likely to be either banded or microchipped. In the latter case, someone
would have to catch the bird and check it with a microchip reader to
determine if it is an escapee. Tell you the truth, I'm not sure that
many zoos have loons.
I agree with Norm - however the bird got here, I'm glad I got to see
it. Not being much of a lister, it really doesn't matter to me if the
State Records Committee counts it or not. That's the great thing about
birds - you can just enjoy looking at them, rain or shine, heat or cold,
in your backyard or someplace exotic, the first time or the millionth
time...
Ellen
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Ellen Paul Chevy Chase, Maryland Mailto:epaul@dclink.com