ML344889191

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Continuing mega-rarity found on May 31st. Observed from corner of Bark Bay road and Old School Road. A lake breeze had picked up since the morning and it was about 65 degrees F and mostly sunny. I first observed the bird actively diving several hundred yards from shore - closer than it had previously been seen - through a scope at 20x magnification. The bird dived and disappeared for several minutes at a time and occasionally preened and rose up and flapped its wings. It also surfaced with a small, silvery fish (cisco or shad?) which it consumed at the surface. Sibley lists the average weight of Arctic as two pounds greater than Pacific and this seemed quite evident, even without direct comparison. The bird seemed very bulky and massive compared to the PALOs I've seen. In particular the head was more angular and blocky than the typically smooth and rounded head of a PALO. The neck also seemed quite thick and bulky compared to the thinner necks of the PALOs I've seen. The nape seemed fairly light gray, especially in the middle and perhaps a bit darker gray to the outside. The extensive white flanks, rising up to the level of the folded wing, were very prominent when observed through a scope.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 7

Lens

iPhone 7 back camera 3.99mm f/1.8

ISO

20

Focal length

4 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.8

Shutter speed

1/371 sec

Dimensions

542 pixels x 458 pixels

Original file size

70.67 KB