I went back to Andrew's Bay this afternoon. There was a single winter
plumage Common loon present. No "big bulky loon with a yellow bill", so
I'm not sure what to think. It could be that the late afternoon light
made the bill of the bird I saw yesterday appear yellow. I'm going to
put it in my book as "Loon sp.? winter plumage". While I was looking
yesterday I was hoping that someone with more experience would just
happen to pass by with a spotting scope and a field guide. Ah well.
Thanks to all who responded to my rather breathless post.

On the loon front, today's trip - Pritchard Beach, Martha Washington
and Seward Park - netted a count of four. All Common, two in fab and
flashy summer plumage and two still in winter garb.

Also spent a lovely hour (for me) in the Seward Park woods watching a
Sharp-shinned Hawk patiently harrass a Barred Owl. This was near where
a pair of Sharpies nested last year.

The coolest part of the day was watching hundreds of fish - suckers, I
believe - spawning along the gravelly shoreline on the bayside of the
Seward Park loop road. I've lived here nigh on 30 years and have never
witnessed such a thing before.

Good birding,
Catherine Alexander
Lakewood neighborhood
South Seattle





-----Original Message-----
From: Guy McWethy <lguy_mcw at yahoo.com>
To: squeakyfiddle at aol.com; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:00:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] large bulky loon w/ yellow bill Andrew's Bay,
Seward Park

Tweeters (and Catherine),
I walked out along the western edge of Seward Park
this morning, and then drove the west side of the bay
as well. I did not locate a YB Loon, but there was a
winter-plumage Common Loon on the west side of Andrew
Bay, right at the Marina. Lots of swallows (VG, Tree,
Barn), Western and RN Grebe, DC Cormorants.

And the Suckers are spawning along the gravel shore of
the park.
Guy

--- squeakyfiddle at aol.com wrote:

> Around 6:20 this evening I spotted a large, bulky
> loon with a yellow
> bill in Andrew's Bay (Seward Park). I was able to
> stop for perhaps two
> minutes before traffic made it imperative I move on.
>
> The light was very good. Distance a third of the way
> across the bay.
> I'm not good at estimating distances, but I was able
> to see the major
> markings. My first thought on seeing the bird was
> "loon". Overall, it
> appeared bulky, with a dark back, wings, crown,
> neck. The throat,
> breast and sides were pale. Bill was heavy and
> yellow. The bird was
> near a pair of Double-crested cormorants. The
> cormorants were of
> similar size, but floated higher in the water and
> had longer necks.
>
> I drove home and checked in Audubon Master Birder
> Vol I for a "big
> bulky loon with a yellow bill", since I'd never seen
> one before. THe
> only bird close is a Yellow-billed loon, which is
> impossibly rare here.
> I looked in Sibley, same thing. Kaufman, same thing.
>
> Grabbed binocs and went back, but the bird had moved
> closer to the
> eastern shore of the bay, so the binocs were of
> little advantage. I was
> able to see about what I'd seen before.
>
> I'm one of the most conservative birders around.
> Normally a range map
> is all it takes for me to start looking at any other
> possibility. Might
> someone else take a look and let me know if there's
> truly something
> special in the bay?
>
> Andrew's Bay is the little bay formed by Seward
> Park's Bailey
> Peninsula. It is bounded on the west side by Lake
> Washington Blvd.; on
> the east by the Seward Park loop road. The bird was
> present in the
> southern part of the bay, in line with the place
> where the swimming
> docks are stored.
>
> Thanks,
> Catherine Alexander
> Lakewood Neighborhood
> South Seattle
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>


Guy McWethy
Renton, WA
mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com

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