I birded along Sheldrake in hopes of finding the Pacific Loon this afternoon. The water was calm and beautiful for long distance scanning. There were few, wildly scattered birds until I got to Sheldrake Park.
By the red lighted buoy was a line of feeding Loons and Gulls with a couple Cormorants mixed in. The close in feeding frenzy was fun to watch. I scanned back and forth over 70, densely packed, Common Loons hoping the Pacific was underwater. After about 45 mins. of this the Pacific popped up in my scope view. The Pacific seemed to dive longer than the Commons, It might have been only my anxiousness to see him pop up that made it seem longer; I didn't time the dives. I tried to keep him in view until Dave and Ann could get there, but arriving were several boats of hunters and fisherman that made it less appealing near to shore. the whole loon group eventually moved all the way to the far side of the lake. I could still make him out through the heat shimmer, but couldn't have ID'd him if that had been my only view. My eyes finally gave out. When Dave and Ann got there we tried conger an image in the distance to no avail. Gary -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
