2-2-12 * Lummi Flats

The juvy only stays for a moment as it chose a lousy perch spot.




The adult watches the juvy fly off.

2-2-12 * Lummi Flats

As if to show the juvy how its done, the adult flies off, does a loop and lands back in the same tree.
Unlike the juvy, this adult nails the landing so hard it makes a loud clunk when its feet hit the thick branch.
It landed so hard, I wondered whether it was trying to break the branch off for its nest.

2-2-12 * Lummi Flats






A few minutes later, the adult flew off as something got its attention.
I drove out to the paved road and found two juvys and one adult in a field with a bunch of crows.
I'm not sure what had their interest, but all three eagles took off and left. The adult {pretty sure it was the same bird I had been watching} surprised me by landing in the road. EEEK!

2-2-12 * Lummi Flats




Here the adult is hunting the ditches on the side of the road, looking for Mallards.

Hi Doug: Great job in rescuing the Red-throated Loon and obviously saving its life. Hope Joe or someone in the Audubon Society calls the Bellingham Herald. This is a great human-interest story.

Quote by: edkeagle

Hi Doug: Great job in rescuing the Red-throated Loon and obviously saving its life. Hope Joe or someone in the Audubon Society calls the Bellingham Herald. This is a great human-interest story.

Hi Doug, I echo Ed thank you.
I really enjoyed your pictures.
:hello:

Hi Ed and Marg * There is more to the story.

Padden Creek Tidal Basin * 2-2-12

After my morning trip to the Lummi Flats, I receive a call from Joe. Two days after I had found a tangled RTLO, he had found another Red-throated Loon in distress.
This time at the Padden Lagoon in south Bellingham, about 2 1/2 miles from the earlier incident.
He went home for rubber boots. We met at the lagoon.
After searching the area we located the poor bird on a tiny beach. It was tangled in a small section of gill net.
We carefully approached, but the bird was exhausted and in no mood to make a run for it.
Joe grabbed the net and easily swept up the bird. With my pocketknife I cut away the net, and we checked for injury.
With no apparent injuries, we released the loon.
It looked good, but tired and stressed. It swam to a mud bar and crawled out to recover.

Click bigger to see the net.

Padden Creek Tidal Basin * 2-2-12




After release.