The Loons are catching on in Tampa Bay

OK, so I showed my daughter what a loon looked liked.  She spotted one yesterday in a Tampa Bay body of water and of course, I quizzed her on how sure she was that  it wasn't a cormorant, annhinga, grebe, or surely a merganser. She hesitated and said it was a loon.  So, today, Easter Sunday we set sail on Tampa Bay for a perfect 80 degree day with light easterly winds around 10 knots and less.  She spots two birds and said, "there is a loon!" and I see the other bird a cormorant and luckily I didn't say anything until my binoculars fell upon the second bird a juvenile loon who hesitated flapped its wings and then dove for food not to be seen again.

Thank you Earthwatcher scientists, Andrew East and Darwin Long IVth for teaching me the difference. A confirmed April 8th loon in Tampa Bay.   This day's sightings confirmed my observations of 8 loons on Dec 26th, 2011 while sailing across the same bay early on a foggy morning.  I hope this is the first on many sightings to be reported on wintering loons in Tampa Bay.