ML544925641
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Behaviors
- Foraging or eating
Observation details
After carefully scanning the harbor and beyond for 1.5 hours in hopes of seeing a reported Pacific Loon, the bird suddenly appeared <200 meters east of the pier when Trevor spotted it at about 5:02 p.m. We watched it actively diving for next 1.3 hours, the bird visible on the surface for only a few seconds before diving and moving some distance underwater. Eventually, the bird spent most of its time south of the pier and moving a bit farther away but still readily identifiable. The complete and well-defined chinstrap combined with the dark upperparts and small white spots on the wing coverts (seen when flapping) suggest this is an older immature (2nd cycle) or possibly an adult. The irides were reddish, also more like an older immature or adult. Compared to Common Loon, this bird's smooth and snake-like but puffy neck and head were distinctive, as was the sharp black line down the neck bordering the crisp white foreneck. There was a small area of white that formed a partial crescent below the eye, but the face was essentially dark with smudging below the auriculars and across the lower cheek. The bird was dark to the water line along its flanks. Arctic Loon would show an obvious white arch over the femoral area and be unlikely to show such a clear and complete chinstrap. Moreover, the smoothly rounded forehead with minimal forehead bump, paler gray nape, and slender, spike-like bill fit Pacific and not Arctic. This bird was first reported here 7 March by Laurie Schweikert and has been seen since that day by several observers. This constitutes the first documented record for Waldo County, although there is at least one older report. This is the third Pacific Loon that I have seen in Maine.
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 150.89 MB