From: "Gina Sheridan" <gsherida8502@yahoo.com>

To: <inland-nw-birders@uidaho.edu>

Subject: [inland-NW-birders]Yellow-billed Loon at Hawkin's Pt. Idaho

Date: Friday, March 02, 2007 11:50 AM

Hello Inlanders,

Since Earl Chapin informed me that he had

seen a first cycle Yellow-billed Loon off the public

pier on Sunnyside Road (Hawkin's Point) on Tuesday,

Bart Whelton and I made a pilgrimage up there to see

it.

Scanning from the pier, we could see Herring Gulls,

Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, plenty of Bald

agles, a lovely pair (male & female) of RED-BREASTED

MERGANSERs, coots, Gadwall, Horned Grebes, Red-necked

Grebes, Tundra Swans, a basic plumaged PACIFIC LOON,

and the first year YELLOW-BILLED LOON.

We watched the YB Loon for over an hour. When the bird

was near the opposite shoreline (directly across the

channel straight from the pier), we could clearly see

the banded back pattern, the dark auricular patch, the

straw yellow colored outer half of the bill, and the

lighter brown back color. When the YB Loon swam out to

the middle of the channel, we had great views of the

bill shape and color, but we could see that the bill

was obviously longer than a Common Loon's even from a

greater distance.

Both the YB & Pacific Loons were Idaho state lifers

for me and the YB Loon was a state lifer for Bart. It

was a wonderful way to begin the month of March.

Gina Sheridan

Spokane, WA