[obol] Arctic Loon Sunday

[Grant Canterbury]

OBOL:

Got to Brownsmead about 8:00 in moderate rain, and scanned around Blind 
Slough on both sides of the bridge for about an hour and a half with a half 
dozen other birders.  There were lots of Western Grebes, cormorants, and 
several Red-throated Loons; I was just about to head back home when we saw a 
large white-bellied loon fly in from downstream and land back east of the 
bridge.  With the star having arrived fashionably late, we got a nice 
prolonged look at the Arctic Loon foraging actively on small fish in company 
with two or three Red-throated Loons, showing a distinct contrast with them 
in its size and build and prominently flashing the white flank patch.  Nice 
to see this bird, I appreciate it getting lost on the way south from 
Siberia.  I take it this is most likely to be the viridigularis subspecies 
by its size and our geographic location?

- Grant Canterbury