Wed a little after 6:00 PM I went look for the Pacific Loon.  I looked by
the boat ramp and found 2 Loons but before I could get out of the car and
down with my rather beat up scope one seemedin  to have taken off toward the
other end of the Lake.  I looked at the remaining Loon, it was a Common
Loon, full adult.  I also saw a male Horned Grebe which was pretty exciting
as I rarely (never?) have seen one and love Grebes.  After bit I went down
the other end of the Lake.  I found a Loon and while I was trying to figure
it out up pops a second one.  They were not easily id'd as they seem to be
juveniles? Neither were in full easily id'ed plumage.   Honestly I'm not
sure which they were, I don't trust my id skills for juveniles.  I only had
one id book with me and the light was soft.  I thought one of them was
Common because of the identation of the white on the front of its neck.
A woman also looking talked to a gentleman who showed her a picture he had
taken earlier and she said it was definately a Pacific.
    I went back down to the boat ramp, Common Loon still there.  Couldn't
find the Horned Grebe but ta da there were two Mergansers.
I looked and looked they were fairly uniformaly brownish grey,with a white
flash at the flanks, orange beaks, the heads were reddish with dark smokey
color starting around the eyes and into a sparse and spikey crest.  The
front of the necks were not at all white but a light brownish.  Before I
left they actually came pretty close to shore.  Looking at a couple more ID
books I think they were female Red Breasted Mergansers although I realize
that seems sort of unlikely.  The white flash would indicate a female Common
Merganser but the bill and everything looked Red Breast to me.  There were a
few other people there but no one seemed interested, they were just looking
for the PL.
   Would love to go tomorrow the same time as someone more experienced and
better than me.

Mary, Fairborn/Dayton

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