Subject: [Tweeters] King county rare loons - no
Date: Fri Jan 1 07:57:10 PST 2021
From: pan - panmail at mailfence.com

Happy New Year, Tweets,

John P. and I spent from dawn till 11:30, then from 2:15 or so till sunset on December 31, 2020, with scopes at Saltwater State Park, bracketing the rarity reports. Sam T. and a couple other birders overlapped with us from earlier in the afternoon, as well. We saw four or five Common Loons with various appearances, but no other species, try as we might to twist them. (I think John had a couple distant Red-throated.) One had dark head and neck coloring sharply contrasting with white underparts, and showed white on the flank -- but the bill and neck, and the proportions, were those of Common. The remnants of the summer collar pattern were not always visible as they rode low in the water and waves. Despite tides and winds, mostly they stayed in the same general areas where found, without major drifting.

Happy New Year,

Alan Grenon
Seattle