Someone asked if anyone had posted any photos of the Virginia Beach Pacific
Loon that Elisa Enders discovered earlier this week. I haven't seen any, so I'm
posting a few poor quality ones that I took this morning. The bird is distant
and the day was dark, but field marks that distinguish this bird from the
Common Loon are easily seen. Here are the links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdingva/8565982932/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdingva/8565983456/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdingva/8565983474/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdingva/8565983722/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdingva/8565983452/in/photostream
I did go to Sherwood Lakes yesterday to look for this bird, but did not find
it. I was surprised when other birders wrote that they saw it yesterday, so I
returned today. I met up with Mike Iwanik there (hope I spelled the name right
this time...?), and Janet Paisley and Betty from Charlottesville. Together we
managed to find and scope the bird on a dark, cold, dreary day. It remained far
from shore and was actively feeding the whole time we were there; it was under
water far more than it was on the surface, which meant it was a challenge to
locate it every time it fed, as loons can travel long distances underwater.
This must be why I couldn't find it yesterday; I was not patient enough.
Elisa, thank you for finding and reporting this fantastic bird!
Karen Kearney
Chesapeake
