My photos were poor. I met the Roberts and Monahans out at the pond. They may
have obtained better photos. David Hughes and Rexanne Bruno saw the loon and
said it was a Pacific. Glad to have confirmation.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID
Jim Marcum <marcums@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This morning (March 15) I checked Sherwood Lakes to look for the loon that
Elisa reported yesterday. It was still present and I would concur with her that
it is a Pacific Loon. The bird was seen at some distance but in excellent
lighting as viewed from the east side of the north lake. There were a number of
Common Loons present for comparison. The Commons were in a variety of plumages
from non-breeding to almost complete breeding plumage.
The bird in question had a smaller more rounded head, a somewhat thinner neck
and the bill seemed a bit shorter than the commons. The demarcation between the
grey of the hind neck and the white of the fore neck was very distinct. The
head and back of the neck was greyish-tan in color. As Elisa mentioned the bill
was not angled upward as one would see on a Red-throated Loon.
Jim Marcum
Virginia Beach, VA
On Mar 14, 2013, at 9:40 PM, Elisa Enders wrote:
I stopped by the ponds at the Sherwood Lakes development on Locksley Arch,
off Princess Anne Road, around 6:30pm. Lesser Scaup, Pied-billed Grebes,
Bufflehead, Red-breasted Mergansers, a Gadwall, Horned Grebes, and Common
Loons were present on the "north" pond, but a unusual loon was keeping
company with the Commons. It showed little white on the flanks, and was dark
on the back, with a small amount of white flecking on the back. The chest,
neck (front), and throat were white. The neck (back) and head were
dark...dark gray, in my opinion. The line between white and dark on the neck
was very distinct. The bird did not show the "chin-strap" or "necklace" that
I would expect to be seen on a Pacific Loon. Also, the flecking on the back
seems to math Red-throated more, but the bill was not angled upward and there
was no white between the eye and bill. I think the bird is a Pacific Loon,
but I have only seen a handful of these birds. Even though I had a camera and
a cell phone (wit
h a camera) I forgot to take pictures. Silly.
Elisa Enders
Portsmouth, VA
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