ML518226411

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***Very rare. Pretty severely fumbled the bag on this one in the moment, but after looking into it for the last half year or so, I'm now reasonably convinced this is a safe ID call (although please correct me if warranted). We were treated to a massive loon deluge on the morning of this observation, a welcome consequence of an absolutely miserable morning of 20F temperatures, strongly gusting winds, and occasional snow squalls. I noticed this loon more or less directly overhead and was intrigued enough to shoot off some rapid-fire photos; I think I assumed it was a RTLO candidate due to the different flight style and slimmer build than the hundreds of COLOs also moving south. I chimped the photos quickly and didn't feel satisfied with RTLO at a glance, so I went back to trying to observe the flight (a decision presumably influenced by cold delirium). Kind of forgot about this bird until a few weeks later when I was errantly flipping through photos on my camera and realized it looked rather good for PALO. The most critical feature is the thin but distinct chin strap very high up on the neck, which really shouldn't appear on any other loon species (including ARLO). This, in combination with the extensive dark on the sides of the neck sharply contrasting the white underside, the slim build, and the thin bill, seems to indicate PALO and exclude the other loons. I do think the smaller impression in the field is also notable, if subjective—I didn't take photos of any other loons throughout the morning because they all seemed fine for Commons. Obviously, the photos (all taken are included) are less than ideal, as are my observations from the moment, as I simply was not equipped/prepared for such a sighting. Still, I think the photos are definitive. Original notes for what I had submitted as loon sp. (written in late December 2022): Somewhat suspicious loon flying south amidst the COLO onslaught. Piqued my interest enough in the moment to prompt photos (the only loon I photographed all morning), which probably suggests that I thought RTLO from flight style. Didn't think about it again until reviewing photos a couple weeks later…

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

150-500mm

ISO

1000

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

1506 pixels x 1004 pixels

Original file size

92.34 KB