Observations de Plongeons du Pacifique au Royaume-Uni

Until recently thought to be a form of the Old World’s Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica), the Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) is well named, for nearly all of these birds winter along the Pacific Coast. It breeds on deep lakes in the tundra region of Alaska and northern Canada as far east as Baffin Island.
In January and February 2007, two certain Pacific Divers (Gavia pacifica) (+ one probable juvenile on Llys-y-Fran Reservoir, Pembrokeshire, the 2nd of February) were discovered in Great-Britain : a juvenile found mi-January on the Farnham (Farneham) Gravel Pits near Knaresborough (Yorkshire), and one adult off Penzance (Cornwall) the 17th February. The bird of Farnham was a first for western Europe. A fact which means that all the twitchers (more than 1,000 people) from across Britain (and Europe) will want to « tick » the bird. Because of the rarity of the bird and because it is on private land, a charge of £10 is apparently being made for parking and to access the bird…The bird was first seen by June Atkinson and confirmed by the Harrogate and District Naturalists’ Society.
The identification of juveniles and internuptial Pacific Divers can be difficult, depending of the conditions, as the species is very closed to the Arctic Diver (Gavia arctica), once considered as two sub-species of Gavia arctica species.
We propose you some photos of the three « British » birds, and all the useful criteria in the field.