Photos by Donna

I got to do a little birding during a recent visit to Ocean City, Maryland.  There were about a dozen or so Common Loons quite busy diving for food at the Inlet.  I got lucky that a few came close enough for me to get some close-ups.

Common Loon

Common Loon

Common Loon

A gentlemen with an exceptional scope was watching me photograph the Common Loons and came over to ask if I saw the lone Red-throated Loon out in the distance.  I hadn’t and was quite thankful as it was a lifer for me!  Of course, I took some photos, all the while hoping he’d come nearer.  He eventually surfaced close enough for me to snap a few close-ups.

Red-throated Loon

The gentleman was also excited to show me a rare sighting of a pair of Razorbills out in the distance at the point of the Inlet’s jetty.  Wow, another lifer!  Here’s where we all say, “Now if only I had had a bigger lens!”  Both heavily cropped and exposure-edited to share with you, and still not the greatest, but I did see them through the gentleman’s scope for confirmation.

Razorbills

Razorbills are Artic diving birds, wintering only as far south as Virginia.  I felt extremely lucky to see this rare sighting.

And boy, was I ever thankful to have met this gentleman!