Yesterday afternoon at Jug Bay I saw an adult Peregrine and a Common Loon 
at the same time!  These two species are probably both observed regularly 
(annually) here, but are only seen occasionally.  They rarely stay put for long 
when they are here, you have to be at the place at the right time.

Even if present, they can easily be missed - like what almost happened to me 
yesterday...  in the morning I heard a loon call at about 9:45, but heard only 
one vocalization.  I looked for the loon in various locations for about a half an 
hour but never saw it, and figured it must have been a bird that called as it 
flew overhead, somewhere out of sight.

Then at about 1:30 PM I went out to look at the river for waterfowl, and right 
behind the house in plain sight was a single Common loon in winter plumage. I 
don't know but suspect it was the same bird.  It was feeding and I watched it 
for about half an hour.  It would dive for long periods and sometimes surface 
in the same area, but twice it came up very far from where it went down 
(once was about 250 feet away!).  It never stayed on the surface long during 
the time I watched it, so most of the time that it was present it was out of 
sight!

There have been years when I missed either of these species here, so it was 
a great treat to see them both at the same time!

Cheers-
Jeff Shenot
Croom MD