IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

Rare Bird Report #: 25-B-07

SPECIES: Red-throated Loon

HOW MANY: one

REPORTER: Terry Gray
890 Stefany Lane
Moscow ID 83843
208-882-1585

REPORTER EMAIL: clgtlg@moscow.com

OTHER OBSERVERS: Earl Chapin
401 S. Ella
Sandpoint, ID
83864
208-263-2800

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 4/20/07

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: April 16, 2007

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Hawkin's Point - Lake Pend Oreille - North end of lake - Sunnyside Road Between Sandpoint and Tressle Creek Idaho

HABITAT: Open Lake

CONDITIONS: Observed this bird for approximately onehalf hour. Wind calm with temp. approximately 55 degrees. Bird was approximately 200 yards out. Used a Leopold 12x40 spotting scope.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: Yes, later the same day

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: Yes, during the observation

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?: The Sibly Guide to Birds

DESCRIPTION: Loons. This bird was an obvious loon. The bird I observed was smaller than a Common Loon in breeding plumage that was near by. This birhad a mostly white face. Head size was small and very rounded and also had a dark very small bill. This bird was starting to get some red on its lower neck but for the most part had a mostly white face and neck. There was obvious white speckling on the back of this bird. My only photo is a digiscope shot and is an poor photo and mainly a silhouette image. This bird did not look like a Pacific Loon that I had observed the previous week, becaus of shape and size of the head and bill. BEHAVIOR: This bird was diving often and feeding on what looked like small Yellow Perch. It did not seem interested in getting close to a Yellow-billed or Common Loons that was also approximately a couple hundred yards from each other.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? After looking at this bird for approximately 1/2 hour and looking at Siblys and talking to Earl we both came to the same conclusion that we had been observing a Red-throated Loon.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? With the shape of the head, size of the bill and size of this bird and the beginning red color on the throat I ruled out Pacific loon. This bird also when not diving held its head high and its bill pointed slightly upward like a Double-crested Cormorant does when it was not hunting.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): This was a first (life) bird for me so wanted to make sure what I was looking at.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: Acive birder for past 7 years leading field trips for Palouse Audubon and Canyon birders for the past t5 years.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: I only have a very poor photo of this bird. It is a digiscope silhouette image due to poor light and distance for such a photo.