A Yellow-billed Loon Inland

USA Birders call the White-billed Diver, Yellow-billed Loon, what a great name for a great bird and what a pleasant surprise when one was discovered on the 21st January 2017 on the River Witham, near Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. Unbelievably this was the second time a juvenile has been found on the same river within a few miles of each other. The last time was February 1996, when a juvenile was discovered a few miles down stream near Tattershall.  White-billed Diver is extremely rare in the UK and even more so inland, so this was a fantastic opportunity to see one of these birds at close quarters. It did not disappoint and was quite obliging, diving and feeding along the River Witham, showing extremely well.

Juvenile divers are well known for getting dispersed, away from the sea during the winter months, especially after severe weather. Our three commoner divers, Great Northern, Red & Black-throated, often turn up on inland waters, such as reservoirs and lakes. However, White-billed and Pacific are real treats and exceptionally rare anywhere inland. When I first photographed this bird the base of the bill and surrounding area was clear of any signs of debris. However later in the morning the diver’s bill seemed to get tangled up in green stringy weed, which it seemed to have difficulty in removing and some of which was dangling from the sides and round the base of the bill, spoiling what would otherwise have been good images. My Year List is on 101.

White-billed Diver – Juvenile – above 9 images – River Witham, near Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire – Tony Davison©