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
