Ulster County PACIFIC LOON, 07/07/24

Believe it or not, I enjoyed a three-loon morning today. In Ulster County. In July. I can safely say I’ve never had a three-loon day anywhere in our area, at any time of the year.

A little background. Yesterday morning, Jeanne Cimorelli located a PACIFIC LOON in a raft of Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir. To me this is a just a remarkable find. To begin with, finding nearly 20 Common Loons on a reservoir in Ulster County in July is something on its own. Add to that a rare Pacific Loon, which could have very easily been overlooked, and you have one very impressive observation.

I couldn’t run for the bird yesterday, so I was up and at ’em early this morning and luckily the birds stuck around. The icing on the cake was relocating the Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage at another area on the reservoir, giving a total of 3 loon species for the morning. This is not your typical summer birding, to say the least! Congrats to Jeanne on a great find.

~Pacific Loon with Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24. The Pacific is the bird on the far right.~
~Fourth bird from the right: PACIFIC LOON at Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24.

SATURDAY SHOTS: I birded locally on Saturday, hoping that the storms that rolled through early in the morning. would have grounded some shorebirds. The black dirt yielded a couple of Least Sandpipers, several Spotted Sandpipers, and many Killdeer. At 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, I was able to relocate the Short-billed Dowitcher that I thought was long gone. That bird made my day – it’s always a good bird for the county, and its plumage was striking.

~Short-billed Dowitcher at 6 1/2 Station Rd. Sanctuary, 07/06/24.~
~Killdeer chick in the black dirt region, 07/06/24.~
~Killdeer in the onions. Black Dirt Region 07/06/24.~
~Eastern Meadowlark in the black dirt, 07/06/24.~
~Pacific Loon among Common Loons, Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24.~

4 thoughts on “Ulster County PACIFIC LOON, 07/07/24”

    1. Thanks Mary, it really was something. Totally unexpected good birding is hard to beat. Matt

  2. Wow! Thanks so much for sharing all the Great photos and Bird adventures.
    That Killdeer Chick is Crazy Cute!!

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