[MDOsprey] Pacific Loon/Susquehanna/11-19/Photographed At Close Range
MHoff36100@aol.com
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 17:28:32 EST
Wavy Seals to the Rescue!!
To follow-up on my post from yesterday regarding the amphibious force …
I arrived at the Bald Friar Road location about 8 am, Friday 11/19, and
looked for the Pacific Loon from the railroad tracks until 9:30 am. Despite
the relatively good sun conditions, calm wind, and balmy temperatures, the
couple times I possibly had the Pacific Loon, it seemed to be hugging the
Harford County shoreline feeding among the small flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls.
Without direction comparison to a Common, it's a little tough to pick out the
details of the head pattern 1+ miles away …
The naval force assembled at 10 am, at the Harford County boat ramp, just S
of Broad Creek. Captain Ron Norris (to whom I am in major debt), Ensign
Hoffman and First Mate Rick Blom in tow. Ron's black lab made a great mascot;
she even garnered half my lunch for a job well done.
We motored from the mouth of Broad Creek into the Susquehanna. No loons were
immediately apparent, so we headed south towards some small bony flocks out
in the middle of the river. After about 15 minutes, we spotted an interesting
loon flying between us and the Cecil County side. It landed in a group of
three Common Loons - and we had our bird. We cut to the electric motor (boy,
I owe Ron), and spent the next hour gently tracking the Pacific Loon. We
observed it as close as 30 yards, and I got 3 ½ rolls of photos. They better
turn out or my name will be mud! (If it isn't already?). Although the loon
was wary, it was not overly so and we could generally approach within 50-70
yards, then drift with the current waiting for it to resurface. It did not
associate with the Commons after he initial find.
At times we were slightly more on the Cecil side of the line, but gradually
the bird drifted towards the Harford side and we called it a day. We did see
a lone birder on the RR tracks (with a white hat), but this was after we had
lost the bird.
The bird has been well-described on the Osprey already. All the details we
observed where entirely consistent with Pacific Loon. The head pattern is
quite distinctive, with the paler gray nape and hind-neck sharply contrasting
with the black board with the white throat and foreneck. The black broadens
has it progress down the sides of the neck. No white was visible at the water
line. Hopefully, the photos will speak for themselves.
Thanks again to Ron, Rick's assistance and my wife's tolerance of my predawn
departure.
Regards and state-bird yippee (#376)!!!
Mark Hoffman
Mhoff36100@aol.com