ML21391031

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

PALO (rear right) with juvenile RTLO (front left).

Observation details

When we initially arrived, there was a good sized crowd standing around the boat launch area who announced that they had not yet seen the PALO. Because there was a strong south wind and I wanted to find a sheltered spot from which to scope, and because the viewing is easier from an elevated vantage point, I immediate climbed up under the bridge to the ledge above the sumac bushes and began scoping. There were several COLO to the north of the bridge, in addition to one RTLO. After about ten minutes, my dad said "look at this loon in close." It was actively diving, but I got on the bird with my scope and immediately became excited. The bird was swimming from left to right quite close to the Vermont shore, in the company of a juvenile RTLO. It offered extended scope views for ~10 minutes, during which period I made the following notes: "Seen quite close, swimming with RTLO for direct comparison. Round head, slender bill, and small size (apparently identical to RTLO) ruled out COLO. Back dark, without white speckling. No white visible on sides or flanks. Sides of neck and face very dark gray; virtually no white visible on front of neck, even in frontal view, except for a small patch under the chin. No dark spurs extending forward from breast or lower neck as in COLO. Photos to upload later." Shortly thereafter, both birds disappeared. Dad had run down to tell the crowd at the boat ramp when we first realized we were looking at the PALO, but none of them came up until after the birds had disappeared. We continued to scan, and after about five more minutes they were relocated, two to three times farther away in the vicinity of the green buoy. Almost everybody got looks. Had I only seen these birds at this far distance, I would not have felt comfortable making the ID, but having seen them much closer already, I was able to continue studying them and observe most of the same field marks mentioned above. Despite the "clear division between dark and light" on a PALO's neck often being cited as the most distinguishing feature, I personally did not notice this. Instead, almost the entire neck appeared to be very dark gray, with little white visible from any angle save for a small patch under the chin. In the field I had speculated that this might be an adult molting into winter plumage and retaining more dark on the throat, but I was unable to find any literature to document this phenomenon. However, the following photo from respected Colorado birder Bill Schmoker shows a PALO with similarly dark neck and throat: http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/Photos/LoonsGrebes/RTLO_PALO5.jpg. In any case, no RTLO which I've ever seen or am aware of would show nearly as dark of back and sides of neck, extending onto cheek and surrounded the eye. Finally, my extensive series of photos never show this bird holding its head and bill pointed upward, as is expected from a RTLO.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 5c

ISO

50

Focal length

4.1 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/2.4

Shutter speed

1/313 sec

Dimensions

2448 pixels x 1736 pixels

Original file size

864.29 KB