BOP? Bird-of-paradise? Big-orange-parakeet? Badly observed phenomenon?

Acronyms aside, what were probably have here are (assuming osprey can
be ruled out) are terns. Black Tern seems most likely since the post
implies that many were seen and nobody mentions the striking black on
white fashion statement made by most _Sterna_ terns.

>
>
>
>On Tue, 5 Aug 1997 Nettebini at aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> A co-worker of mine was camping near Spirit Lake in Idaho last week. He said
>> he said what looked like hawks or falcons (based on their short necks and
>> squarish-shaped bodies) diving from high in the sky into the lake. He said
>> these birds would stay submerged for up to 12 seconds at a time. I had no
>> idea what they might be? Can somebody help?
>
>Annette--
>
> hmm-mmmmmm... if it wasn't an osprey (but they're so large it's
> difficult to mis-ID them)...I'd wonder if it was a BOP.
> there are a number of birds that feed at the surface, skim the
> surface, but not many non-duck types, that stay down for 12 seconds
> at a time..and most of those birds are so heavy they wouldn't
> be making continual *drops* out of the sky as altitude's expensive
> and strenuously attained for them.. Hmmmm-mmmmm..
>
> We'd probably rule out *the usual suspects*, so this is a
> really interesting sighting.
>
> Tom
>
>

--
********************************* I am but mad north-north-west;
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * when the wind is southerly,
* mpatters at orednet.org * I know a hawk froma handsaw.
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters -ws