Hello,
On Tuesday, from South Beach on San Juan Island, I saw some confusing
water birds. There was a group of three loons, two of which I've
tentatively pegged as Pacific Loons, but the third was very
light-colored, with what appeared to be reddish coloring on the nape.
I'm at a loss as to what it could be. To add to the bizarre situation, I also had what is apparently a Long-tailed Duck at the same location. I
had to look at the calendar to be sure it was indeed late June! Here are three links to pictures of the birds. The quality is quite poor due the
distance, but if anyone has wisdom to share I'd be grateful.

mystery bird: http://tinypic.com/r/2qwhp4z/8
three loons: http://tinypic.com/r/291jo84/8
apparent Long-tailed Duck: http://tinypic.com/r/ruy846/8
Thanks,
David Poortinga
Arlington, WA
dpoortinga at yahoo dot com