Pacific Loons and Little Gulls! Minet's Point Lake Simcoe

Today I decided that I would finally make my way up to Lake Simcoe to try and find the Pacific Loon(s) that has been seen there off and on the past week or so.  Caitlyn came with me and we arrived at Minet's Point on Lake Simcoe at 8:55am and within 5 minutes, I had spotted a Pacific Loon out on the water a couple hundred metres away!  It quickly dove and disappeared and two other birders spotted a second individual!  The second bird was less far along in the molt process (transition from breeding feathers to winter plumage) and still had some of that silvery nape typical of this species!  I was thrilled to see both and stayed for over an hour watching them and trying to take a few distant record shots.  An added bonus were the numerous Little Gulls that were also present!

View from Minet's Point

Pacific Loon!

Pacific Loon in the foreground showing that silvery nape and head, Common Loon in the middle, Red-necked Grebe in the back.

Pacific Loon #2!  This individual has molted into wintering plumage.  Based on the dark head and white spots on the back I think this one is an adult as well.

Little Gull! Note the white wing tips.

Bonaparte's Gull for comparison, note the black on the trailing wing edge.

Common Loon - of course the common ones always come closer!

A fantastic day of birding! I hope all the folks who drove out to Ottawa to see Ontario's first record of Pink-footed Goose are lucky and find it!