Hey tweets, My husband and I drove to Tacoma early this morning, right at
dawn, to track down the albino loon. Our plan was to start casing the bay
at the far east end, work our way quickly to Asarco, and then if no loon
hove into view, work our way slowly back east again. No loon hove into view
by the time we ran out of bay, so we turned back, thinking the worst. We're
easily discouraged, and then we eat. As the back of the car slowly filled
up with the detritus of a lost cause, the long list of might-have-beens
scrolled painfully through my mind: the emperor goose, the kestrel, the
plover (oh the plover), and now the white loon, the white loon. I elected
to take a nap while my husband optimistically checked out one more parking
lot overview. Of course he spotted the loon right away and began dancing up
and down, waving his arms, shouting, and generally causing numerous joggers
to swerve widely around this guy who clearly needed his space, big-time.
Finally he ran to the car, yanked open the door and made his announcement.
Fortunately the loon was still there.

We watched it for a couple of hours from a distance of 60-75 yards. We were
using our Pentax scope at 40x and 60x in perfect light, still air, glassy
water. This bird is spectacular, as white as a swan, with cute pink feet
and a bill that tantalizingly comes in and out of focus too fast to check
its shape very well. The tip had a way of fading into the background just
when we got a good view. For awhile, the bird looked like a common loon
when its head was turned to our left, and a yellow-billed when its head
turned to our right. I do think its bill is pretty darn asymmetric, and not
just horizontally. But we concluded, as Dennis and others have done, that
the bill really does have a yellow-billed loon's shape: reasonably straight
culmen, pretty steep angle in the last couple inches, definite asymmetric
split top/bottom. Overall, the bill shape reminded me of George Bush's
pulled-cheek expression whenever he is told that Gore has won another court
decision re the recount - his bill kind of hangs down on the bottom. This
is in contrast to a common loon's bill shape, which gives the bird a kind
of fixed, wooden look, reminiscent of Gore in his more serious moments.

We did not see the loon hold its bill at an upward angle - it was far too
busy fishing, preening and flapping its wings. This bird was exurberantly
healthy and active, diving frequently, swimming underwater for great
stretches at times, and generally looking about as full of itself as a loon
can. Around 12:30, it took a sudden notion to swim out to the middle of the
bay, where it began preening again. We headed for home, thankful for a
planet that can produce such a wondrous creature. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com