Less than 3 hours before Gary's report came in, I counted 83 COMMON LOONS
cruising in a tight flock on the surface near the red light. Did the Pacific Loon hold
it's breath underwater the entire time I double-counted the flock? Was it around
the point? Did it align itself perfectly behind a larger Common Loon? Did it fly in
to join the later feeding frenzy? I can hardly complain much when I have in the
past also had an excellent view of the bird from this same spot. Still, it is a bit
irksome that for a second time the bird has been reported from Sheldrake Point
this fall just after I have arrived home from having looked for it there. Consolation
birds for me were a female/juvenile BLACK SCOTER by #7556 south of the point
on County Road 153, and a winter plumage RED-NECKED GREBE by #7284
Wyers Point Rd.
Thanks again, Gary, for reporting the bird, staying on it to the bitter end, arranging
sticks in an arrow to show where you last saw it, and then returning to help stare
fruitlessly into the mirage with Ann & me. What a guy!
--Dave Nutter
cruising in a tight flock on the surface near the red light. Did the Pacific Loon hold
it's breath underwater the entire time I double-counted the flock? Was it around
the point? Did it align itself perfectly behind a larger Common Loon? Did it fly in
to join the later feeding frenzy? I can hardly complain much when I have in the
past also had an excellent view of the bird from this same spot. Still, it is a bit
irksome that for a second time the bird has been reported from Sheldrake Point
this fall just after I have arrived home from having looked for it there. Consolation
birds for me were a female/juvenile BLACK SCOTER by #7556 south of the point
on County Road 153, and a winter plumage RED-NECKED GREBE by #7284
Wyers Point Rd.
Thanks again, Gary, for reporting the bird, staying on it to the bitter end, arranging
sticks in an arrow to show where you last saw it, and then returning to help stare
fruitlessly into the mirage with Ann & me. What a guy!
--Dave Nutter
On Nov 07, 2010, at 03:42 PM, "James G. Kohlenberg" <jg...@cornell.edu> wrote:
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
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