5 Loons 24 hours 1/3/2025

1/3-4/2025

There had been an Arctic Loon (ABA code 3) in Port Angeles regularly since the Christmas Bird Count. I decided to get up and take the Coupeville – Port Townsend Ferry at 8:45 AM. Coupeville was nice and rainy and so was the ferry ride, I went up top to go look at some birds during the trip to see if I could get some seabirds. There were White-winged Scoters and Murres and Murrelets, nothing really list worthy. But I did run into my friend I hadn’t seen in a while! She was headed to Port Angeles also took like at a tiny house to potentially move to some property in Bellingham…. Anyways, got off the ferry and it was about an hour on to the Arctic Loon stakeout at Port Angeles Boat Haven.

Right when I got there, I pulled over next to a car with a scope out, must have been a birder I was thinking. It was! But there was no one in the car or by the scope. I walked up to the next couple and they were pointing out the loon all I saw was common loons and couldn’t quite figure out where they were looking. As I was doing that another lady pulled up next to the scope and the guy finally showed up and tried pointing out the loon to me as well. Finally, I thought I saw it, I snapped some pictures and walked NE to the end of the pier and tried to get closer. When I got there one of the ladies was pointing out a loon and I took some pictures and talked to her for a bit about this and that. She asked for my e-mail so I could send her some pictures of the loon. As she was leaving, I was looking at this bird and decided definitively that it was a Common Loon. I walked back to the truck as another group of people were arriving. The Common Loon lady was telling these people that she had a great view of it on the other side of the buildings…. Ugh. I ended up telling them that I didn’t think she was pointing out the right bird. I told them I thought that I had seen it when I first got here but when I showed one of the fellow birders the pictures I snapped he said that was also a common.

FUCK! So disheartening. First, for mistaking the Common for the Arctic, I know loons pretty well and I should have trusted myself in the first place and known. Second, I hadn’t seen the bird! At this point there were 5 of us or so and the majority went over to “the hook” (Ediz Hook) to try over there. I stayed because I needed to figure out my time and just be alone for a bit. One more guy showed up and I told him what had happened, and he pulled out his scope to look around while I was chatting. After 10 minutes or so I noticed a different looking loon and it dove right as I was taking a picture of its butt. I told the guy I was with that I was pretty sure there was a different loon, but I also said, “I’m probably wrong and it’s a common because I’ve been misidentifying birds all day.”

It eventually surfaced again it did turn out to be the target bird. I was so relieved; Jordan and I watched it surface and dive for probably 20 minutes before the people over on the hook came back. It was still too far out for any decent pictures, but I got enough diagnostics. After chatting with everyone and being exited, it was time to drive back to the ferry.

The next morning, I decided to get up and head out to Semiahmoo to see if I could find the Yellow-billed Loon (ABA code 2) and of course the Pacific and Red-throated. I have only seen the Yellow-billed once and it wasn’t a great view, so I wasn’t super hopeful. We got out there (I took Ross this time) and on the way out someone coming back from the channel told me all the loons were out there, and he counted 300 plus Pacific Loons (I was skeptical but who knows)

There were 300 Pacific Loons. I’ve never seen that here. Lots of Commons and we did see the Red-throated driving. Then I saw it! I took some pictures just in case really quick before pointing it out to Ross, it dove in like 2 seconds. But it came back up and closer and kept moving closer. So, all 5 loons IN THE WORLD in a day, in Washington State. How cool. Another notable bird was a Long-tailed Duck really close. Whew. Good way to start of 2025. eBird Checklist – 4 Jan 2025 – Semiahmoo Resort