Red-throated Loon | Sitka Nature

Swan Lake Birds

matt goff — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:14:44 +0000

It’s been an interesting week at Swan Lake. Monday there was a report of at least 120 Northern Shovelers, a very high count for Sitka. By Tuesday there were ‘only’ 50+ (still a high count), but 5 Blue-winged Teal also showed up. This is a high count for a species that is not reported at all most years, and when it is, often only a single bird. Wednesday 2 Ruddy Ducks showed up, and Thursday a pair of Red-throated Loons was present along with the continuing Ruddy Ducks, a pair of Blue-winged Teal, 40 or so Northern Shovelers, and some other more typical species. Below I’ve posted some pictures from a couple of visits I made to the lake on Thursday.

More pictures

The post Swan Lake Birds first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Red-throated Loon

matt goff — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:55:19 +0000

Update (4 Feb): The loon was still alive and in the same place as of 9am this morning, but was dead by 10am. Jen C. picked it up at that time – she said that upon examination they discovered it was thin but without any obvious other problems – so it may have a parasite and/or infection of some sort

This afternoon I heard from Jen C. that she had received a call about a possible injured odd looking bird at Swan Lake down by the roundabout. She found a Red-throated Loon there in the small section of open water just up from the outflow. She said it first seemed to be on the grass resting but it subsequently slipped into the water and did start an attempt to take off, but didn’t get airborne). When I had a chance to stop by a little while later, the loon was on the water, seeming mostly inclined to rest (though it did keep a watchful eye on what was going on). I only had a few minutes, so I just took a few pictures before heading off, but would have been nice to have had more time to sit and watch it.

The person who reported it had apparently also said that it was limping on land. The feet of loons are well back on the body, and as adults they can’t really walk, though they can push themselves along, so perhaps this is what had been observed. The Birds of North America On-line account of Red-throated Loon indicates they need 15m-45m to gain enough speed for lift-off, and I’m pretty sure there’s not that much open water, in which case it would be trapped there. I’m not sure how deep the water is in the outflow, but I don’t think it’s more then a handful of feet. I suspect there are few, if any, fish for it to catch there at this point, though I also don’t know if it’s even trying (if it is still there tomorrow, I would like to spend a bit more time watching it). The forecast is for temperatures to stay in the 30s over the next couple of days at least, so I don’t think the lake will be opening up any time soon. This being the case, I would guess the bird will starve without intervention (whether that be human or a dog or otter). Jen hopes to be able to capture the bird to take it to the raptor center where it can get checked out (and released back on the ocean if it seems to be healthy).

My guess is the bird came in sometime last night or earlier today during the high winds (and I wonder if it had something to do with the wind), landed in the open water, and subsequently found itself with not enough room to take off. (In some locations it’s not unusual for loons to become stranded on highways where they landed, apparently thinking the wet road was a body of water.) Perhaps if it’s caught we’ll learn a little more about it, but regardless I was grateful for the chance to observe this striking bird at a much closer distance than typical.

The post Red-throated Loon first appeared on Sitka Nature.

High Winds and an Unexpected Loon

matt goff — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:30:49 +0000

Winds were fierce through the night, topping out with 53 mph sustained winds on the 3:53 observation (81 mph gust) and a gust of 86 mph the 4:53 am update (though down to 37 mph sustained). The breeze was still quite stiff when the kids and I walked down to Totem Park later in the morning. Park trails were closed due to high winds, so we just walked down the beach a ways before heading back. The play of light as sun rays illuminated rain squalls through small gaps in the clouds. It might have been nice to get some video (straight or maybe time lapse) – but conditions weren’t so inspiring for hanging out in the open very long.

Later this afternoon I heard a report of a Red-throated Loon on Swan Lake. I made a quick stop at the lake and grabbed some pictures of it, but will write it up in a separate post.

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The wind was stili blowing hard when we saw sunligiht briightening a rain squall this morning.

Red-throated Loon on Swan Lake

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Juvenile Red-throated Loon

matt goff — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:50:40 +0000

I noticed an odd loon at the entrance to Sealing Cove while walking to class this afternoon. It was too far out to get very good photos, but I took a bunch hoping to confirm my suspicion that it was a Red-throated Loon. It is the first Red-throated Loon I’ve seen in winter and recognized at the time, although it was only later I realized it must be a first winter bird.

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Juvenile Red-throated Loon photographed at entrance to Sealing Cove.

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Red-throated Loons

matt goff — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 07:55:29 +0000

Early in the 1900s Red-throated Loons were reported nesting on Swan Lake in multiple years. These days I suspect there’s too much traffic around for them to be comfortable. This pair was only around for one day, as far as I know, but I did enjoy seeing them while they were there.

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Red-throated Loons on Swan Lake

Red-throated Loon on Swan Lake

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Loon Identification Update

matt goff — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 06:01:25 +0000

I have had a few responses to the Loon Identification post I made a couple of days ago. One of them pointed out that there is a discussion of Loons in the Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding by Kenn Kaufman. I have had the book for some time, but did not think to look in it, so that was helpful. I also appreciate the other responses I have had, as the discussion helped clarify for me the difficulties I am having. I now think that all but one of the birds I am having trouble with are all Common Loons (perhaps all first winter, but I’m not sure). The other bird is hard to be certain about due to the poor quality of the photo, but I’m leaning toward Red-necked Loon due to the relatively small bill and the general lack of pattern on its neck.

Below is one photo of each of the other loons in question. I have arranged them from the most Pacific Loon-like to the least Pacific Loon-like, to my eyes. (Numberings are from the previous post, look there to see additional photos of some of these loons.)

(Click thumbnails for larger versions.)

(Bird #1)

Loon observed at Starrigavan 14 December 2004.

(Bird #5 and #6; there were two at the time, but I’m not sure I photographed both)

Common(?) Loon observed 12 December 2006 outside Crescent Harbor breakwater. Seen with Common Loon.

(Bird #2)

This Loon was observed at Eliason Harbor 6 November 2006.

(Bird #3)

I am not entirely certain about this identification. The bird seemed less bulky than many Common Loons. Perhaps it's a first year bird? Observed 16 January 2007 at Eliason Harbor.

(Bird #4)

Loon observed 12 December 2005 in Crescent Harbor breakwater.

(Bird #8)

Common(?) Loon observed 27 October 2006 while kayaking at north end of channel.

It seems to me that the first five pictures above show something of a continuum of patterning on the neck. However, it also seems like lighting, posture, and positioning play a significant role in the apparent patterning (or lack thereof) on the neck. To me, the sixth bird looks signficantly different than the first five, but it’s worth noting that it’s also the only one without its head/neck extended up rather then folded down a bit.

It’s also worth noting the following picture of Bird #4, which look far more Common Loon-like.

Loon observed 12 December 2005 in Crescent Harbor.

Upon realizing that I had misplaced the third picture of Bird #4 (the one that’s in the list above) and it actually belonged with these two, I came to think that probably all of the birds were Common Loons since the third picture fit into the continuum of birds that looked a little unusual for Common Loons and had elements suggestive of Pacific Loons, but also, in different postures, looked very much like a Common Loon.

Of course, I could be wrong about all of this, but I like to think I’m on the right track. Hopefully someone will set me straight, if I’m not.

Questions that remain for me are:

How variable is the neck pattern in Common Loons? Does the first bird, which seems to have no neck pattern at all, but otherwise looks very much like the other birds, fit within this variation?

How variable is the amount of white around the eye in Common and Pacific Loons? Pictures I have of birds that are clearly Pacific Loons (scroll to bottom for photos) seem to show white around the eye, though the field guides I’ve looked at suggest there is not any. The birds pictured above do not have as much white as other birds I have taken pictures of that are clearly Common Loons (scroll to bottom for photos), and less than the field guides I’ve looked at seem to suggest they should have.

Is it unusual for a Common Loon to show a chin strap, as Bird #8 seems to?

The post Loon Identification Update first appeared on Sitka Nature.

Loon Identification

matt goff — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:15:03 +0000

It’s the time of year that loons are most easily observed around Sitka, and I was recently reminded that I have pictures of several different loons taken over the last three years that I have had a hard time figuring out. I’ve got my best guesses for most/all of them, but for each there is some question that remains. I suspect most of the difficulty I’m having is due to variation in characters (both between individuals, and within the same individual due to difference in posture) that I do not have a good handle on. I imagine some (all?) of them are fairly straightforward to someone with more loon experience, so I’m hoping I might be able to get a little help from birders with more knowledge. I would appreciate any comments on identifications and/or the range of variation in the character traits that are causing me trouble.

Loon comparison

Loon observed at Starrigavan 14 December 2004.

Common(?) Loon observed 12 December 2006 outside Crescent Harbor breakwater. Seen with Common Loon.

Update: For an idea of the trouble I’ve had, these two photos were taken about a year apart. I have tended to think of the first (Bird #1) as a Pacific Loon and the second (Bird #5 or #6) as a Common Loon. Until today, I have never thought to compare them. Now I see these are close enough that they could almost be the same bird. Certainly it seems like whatever I think one is, the other must be also. I think this analysis also applies to Bird #2 and Bird #3, as well. It seems that if I can get an identification for this form that keeps showing up, I would have the most of the problem birds I see figured out (the other ones are more problematic due to distance/poor conditions for photography).

Pacific(?) Loon (Bird #1)

Loon observed at Starrigavan 14 December 2004.

This loon was the first I ever took pictures of, back on 14 December 2004. I have changed my mind about whether it was a Pacific Loon or not several times over the time since, though most often I have considered it a Pacific Loon. What inclines me toward Pacific Loon is that it seems to have the clean line between white and gray on the neck and it’s not as bulky as I tend to think of Common Loons being. On the other hand, the bill seems more bulky than I would expect for a Pacific Loon, it seems to have white around the eye, and there’s no hint of a chinstrap. However, it looks even less like a Common Loon.

Common(?) Loon (Bird #2)

This Loon was observed at Eliason Harbor 6 November 2006.

Snowy weather does not lend itself to optimal photographic conditions, and this photo reflects that. However, I hope the bird can be seen well enough for identification purposes. My best guess is that this is a Common Loon, but I am troubled by the apparent lack of white partial collar and the seemingly short/small bill. On the other hand, the line between white and gray on the neck does not seem as clean as it should be for a Pacific Loon, and the bill seems a bit more robust than I would expect on a Pacific Loon. This bird was observed in early November 2006.

Common(?) Loon (Bird #3)

I am not entirely certain about this identification. The bird seemed less bulky than many Common Loons. Perhaps it's a first year bird? Observed 16 January 2007 at Eliason Harbor.

This may be the same bird as the previous one, though this picture was taken 16 January 2007. The bill seems more reminiscent of a Common Loon, though it does not seem to have the bulk I expect of a Common Loon. To my eyes it does not appear to have a partial white collar, nor does it have much white around the eye (as would be expected with a Common Loon). While bulk/size and lack of white around the eye seems consistent with Pacific Loon, the bill does not, nor does the contrast/line between light and dark on the neck.

Common(?) Loon (Bird #4)

Loon observed 12 December 2005 in Crescent Harbor.

Loon observed 12 December 2005 in Crescent Harbor breakwater.

This loon, photographed in the south corner of Crescent Harbor 12 December 2005, seemed to me a Common Loon. I still lean pretty hard toward Common Loon, as it’s got the bulk and the contrast/line between the light and dark of the neck seems more consistent with a Common Loon. On the other hand, the bill seems a little short and there is no white above the eye (as would be expected on a Common Loon). Update: Looking at the third picture, it’s apparent there is some white above the eye. I had forgotten the third photo was of this bird (rather than the ones taken the same day outside the harbor) until going back through the pictures and double checking my original notes on it.

Common(?) Loons (Bird #5 and #6)

Loon observed 12 December 2005 outside Crescent Harbor breakwater.

Common(?) Loon observed 12 December 2006 outside Crescent Harbor breakwater. Seen with Common Loon.

Common Loon observed 12 December 2005 outside Crescent Harbor breakwater.

These are pictures of two birds that seemed to be swimming together near Crescent Harbor breakwater on 12 December 2005. I think they are the same species. I’m leaning toward Common Loons as they have some white around the eye and the bill seems fairly bulky. However, they seem a little less bulky than I would expect (compare with the bird above, though maybe things like the apparent thickness of neck have more to do with posture than anything else). Also there seems to be a hint of a chinstrap and there does not appear to be a partial white collar (though it’s still not as clean a line between light and dark as I might expect on a Pacific Loon).

Update: Now that I have compared one of these photos with one I am thinking of as a Pacific Loon (see above), I’m a little more inclined to think these are Pacific Loons.

Pacific(?) Loon (Bird #7)

This Red-throated Loon was observed while kayaking in Eastern Channel on 27 October 2006.

I only saw this loon briefly from a distance while I was kayaking in late October 2006. My current thinking is that it’s a Pacific Loon, but I also wonder about Red-throated Loon. I’m not sure that I can rule it out. Given the poor quality of this photo, perhaps there cannot be a definitive answer, but I figure it’s worth a try.

Common(?) Loon (Bird #8)

Common(?) Loon observed 27 October 2006 while kayaking at north end of channel.

Seems to have the bulk of a Common Loon. The bill looks a little short, there’s a chinstrap, white edging to feathers on its back seems unusual, and I don’t really see a white collar. Seen 27 October 2006.

The post Loon Identification first appeared on Sitka Nature.