Birdwatching: With winter come the ‘divers’

Published 9:27 am Wednesday, December 2, 2015

It is fall and the “divers” have arrived.

Now is the time to begin looking for loons. Last week an immature Pacific loon, also called the Pacific diver, visited the Ilwaco harbor. It is uncommon in Pacific County as a whole, but is common in fall and uncommon in winter on the Willapa Refuge and the Peninsula. Its breeding grounds are on the tundra of Alaska and Canada, but it likes to winter off our coast.

Like other loons, its legs and feet are located toward the back end of its body, making it awkward on land and impossible to take off from land. It is a medium-sized loon with a black and white checkered back. Its underparts are white and its eye is red. The head is gray and its throat is black with white stripes.

The Pacific loon is a specialist in terms of feeding. It catches its prey under water and often dips its head in the water to look around for crustaceans, fish, and frogs. Its bill is shaped like a dagger.

You can expect to find loons at this time of year and into the winter at the Ilwaco harbor, off the boat launch at Cape Disappointment, at the Port of Nahcotta, in the ocean off the Pacific beach and in the bay off of Leadbetter State Park.