Date: 11/1/26 10:33 am From: Bruce Mast via countybirders <cathrasher4...> Subject: Re: [countybirders] [SNMountainBirds] Yellow-billed Loon, Camp Richardson S. Lake Tahoe
Yellow billed loon still present this morning November 1. Straight out from
end of Richardson pier, between red and green buoys, at the limit of
visibility.
Bruce Mast
Oakland
On Sat, Oct 31, 2026, 1:24 PM Will Richardson via countybirders
<t.will.richardson...> wrote:
> Geoff Hanlon reports the Yellow-billed Loon continuing, and choppy
> conditions, this morning (10/31). Tomorrow should be much nicer weather,
> and hopefully it will stick around at least another day.
> Will Richardson
> Truckee, CA
>
>
> ____________________
> T. Will Richardson, Ph.D.
> Executive Director
> Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
> 530.412.2792
> www.tinsweb.org
>
>
>
Date: 10/31/26 1:24 pm From: Will Richardson via countybirders <t.will.richardson...> Subject: Re: [countybirders] [SNMountainBirds] Yellow-billed Loon, Camp Richardson S. Lake Tahoe
Geoff Hanlon reports the Yellow-billed Loon continuing, and choppy conditions, this morning (10/31). Tomorrow should be much nicer weather, and hopefully it will stick around at least another day.
Will Richardson
Truckee, CA
____________________
T. Will Richardson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
530.412.2792
www.tinsweb.org
Date: 10/30/26 10:51 pm From: Will Richardson via countybirders <t.will.richardson...> Subject: Re: [countybirders] [SNMountainBirds] Yellow-billed Loon, Camp Richardson S. Lake Tahoe
Several of us were able to see the Yellow-billed Loon today off the Camp Richardson pier this afternoon at approximately 3:15-3:20. The bird was at the very far edge of visibility given the distortion coming from evaporating lake water, but when the low, late October sun front-lit the bill in a profile view it was absolutely unmistakable - more Pantone Yellow than ivory Most gratifying, as this is a species I’ve been trying to find at Tahoe for decades! Today at least, the bird was seen from straight off the pier to about a 1:30-2 o’clock angle to the right. And the bird was also diving a lot, and occasionally spending several minutes at a time under water; I was probably on the pier for a good 20+ minutes before I finally spotted it.
There were also four Common Loons on the horizon just a little north of due west.
I hope the weather cooperates for anybody looking over the weekend; it’s a stunning bird and appears to be in full adult plumage. Jenny Scott managed to get excellent photos from her kayak yesterday afternoon.
Good luck!
Will Richardson
Truckee, CA
____________________
T. Will Richardson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
530.412.2792
www.tinsweb.org
Date: 10/29/26 1:55 pm From: Will Richardson via countybirders <t.will.richardson...> Subject: [countybirders] [SNMountainBirds] Yellow-billed Loon, Camp Richardson S. Lake Tahoe
Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Julian Johnson via SNMountainBirds" <Julianraphael2003...>
> Subject: [SNMountainBirds] Yellow-billed Loon, Camp Richardson S. Lake Tahoe
> Date: October 29, 2026 at 12:15:32 PM PDT
> To: <SNMountainBirds...>
> Resent-From: <Julianraphael2003...>
> Reply-To: <Julianraphael2003...>
>
> Hello all,
>
> This morning Jenny Sweatt found an adult YELLOW-BILLED LOON still in breeding plumage off the Camp Richardson pier in South Lake Tahoe. We were able to obtain diagnostic (albeit distant) photos of the bird, of which I will post mine to eBird later today. I last saw it slowly drifting NE further out into the lake, though it may eventually wander back closer to shore. Regardless it should be worth keeping an eye out for it in the coming days. Anywhere with nice vantage points of the lake along the south shore should be good places to look from.
>
> To my knowledge this is the second county record for El Dorado following a bird in January 2024 also found by Jenny, which was likely the same individual later seen in early May of that year. However, from a record keeping perspective if anyone is aware of additional records of this species for the county, please let me know.
>
> Congrats to Jenny on a great find!
>
> Good birding,
> Julian Johnson
> Placerville, CA
> _._,_._,_
> _,_
____________________
T. Will Richardson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
530.412.2792
www.tinsweb.org
