ML646129763

Observation details

Cameron Cox found this bird foraging a little ways offshore, in a shallow channel among the oyster beds, and in close proximity to a Common Loon. Gene Revelas and I hustled over to his location, and observed the bird along with Cameron. When the Common Loon departed at a few minutes after 1500, presumably for a night roost, this loon took flight at almost the same time and flew the same path off to the north. In the field, we noted that the bird consistently showed an obvious white patch at the rear of the flanks, and typically showed white all along the flanks. The only times when there was no white visible anywhere on the flanks was when the bird had just emerged from a dive, and was still riding very low in the water, with the flanks still underwater. The bird lacked any sort of chin strap. The nape was not strongly grayish, rather it was a slightly lighter brown than the rest of the upperparts. Also noted that head shape was not the smoothly rounded shape characteristic of PALO, rather it showed a more rectangular shape on the crown.