I can put to rest that the dead Loon at Ocean Shores was NOT the
Yellowbilled. I saw the Yellowbilled Loon today between 11am till about12:30
pm. It was about 300 yards off shore from the base of the sumerged jetty by
Damon Pt. As the tide was coming in so did the bird till it was about 70ft.
from shore. Which was great because I didn't have a spotting scope. It is
definitely molting because it's wing feathers are very ragged. There so
short they look like penguin wings. So this bird will be around for a while.
It was with 4 Red Throated Loons near shore. The fog didn't lift till about
10 am so visibility was limited. Also at this time about 500 peeps and
plovers were coming in with a Peregrine hot on there trail. It doesn't get
any better than this. It's unfortunate because I was the only birder there.
My thanks go out to everyone who sent me e-mail explaining where to find this
bird especially Gene Hunn for her detailed info. It was a long sot after
lifer. Brad Wilson Puyallup birding4brad at aol.com