megaloony

I was in DC yesterday, and busy this morning, so didn't check my email until 3pm--when I learned that yesterday Cameron Rutt had discovered a Yellow-billed Loon about 100 miles away near Harrisburg. It was still there this morning, so within an hour my 4th grader and I were in the car cruising west on I-78. By 5:30 we arrived, a few birders were still there, and the bird was in view. We watched it and followed it as it dove just offshore in the Susquehanna River. This is another bird that I had chased and missed several times as a kid growing up in Oregon, so it was sweet to finally see this bird. Its almost in complete alternate (breeding) plumage, which is another treat, since most birds that wander down to the Lower 48 from Alaska and Canada are in basic (nonbreeding/winter) plumage and not nearly as classy looking as this beauty! What a great bird to end the day! (photo: Cameron Rutt)

Update: More photos of this bird are online here--
Tom Johnson's photos
Tim Lenz's photos
Geoff Malosh photos
Dustin Welch photos

Watch a local TV news story about the bird at WHTM.