Hello, Tweets,

This afternoon (3/8/12) there was not one but two Yellow-billed Loons in Sequim Bay. One was a basic-plumage bird that swam just south of John Wayne Marina about 50-100 yards offshore, floating at the surface for about 20 minutes in great view. It took a quick catnap from time to time, closing its eyes and letting its head droop onto its chest, then quickly looking up, kind of like someone startled while taking a nap. After a bit it stretched, fluffed, and started diving, moving further offshore to the south. Dow Lambert, Denny Van Horn, and Marion Rutledge all joined me to check out the bird, and Dow got some long-distance photos. It's very brown with a nice brown spot behind the eye, and its big upturned bill is mostly straw yellow but with a light bluish tinge at the base.

Just before seeing the loon above, there was another basic-plumaged Yellow-billed Loon swimming quite a ways across the bay east from John Wayne Marina, along the bay's far eastern shoreline. Curiously, there was a very large group of Red-throated Loons diving in the same vicinity, one of the largest groups of RTLO I've seen around here, with about 50-60 birds in a flock that stretched about 1/2 mile long. There was an impressive flotilla of Harbor Seals working the same area, with about 75 seals slowly swimming and diving in formation, moving along the shoreline. Something had their attention. With a couple Pacific Loons and Common Loons also in the area, it was a four loon day in the bay. We tried to imagine an Arctic Loon out of the bunch, but no luck.

In addition, the two Emperor Geese are back together and still hanging out in Dungeness Bay. This afternoon they lazily swam just offshore between the mouth of the Dungeness River and 3 Crabs, then moved to the southern shore of Graveyard Spit (the southern extension of Dungeness Spit), easily viewed by scope from Dungeness Landing Park or Marine Drive. One Emperor appears to have completed its body molt, looking fine and dandy with an almost perfectly white head and lovely back, while the other still has a dark lore and what looks like worn first-winter feathers on much of its back and wing coverts.

Bob Boekelheide
Sequim