A breeding plumaged bird, then? It would be adult and I would guess would
have a rather huge, "upturned" [upper mandible ridge nearly straight, lower
mandible angled upwards; also carried slightly above the horizontal much of
the time] bill sharply contrasting with the black (actually dark metallic
purple) head. Can't imagine it was anything else, in that case.

Gene.

At 02:49 PM 9/23/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Eugene Hunn wrote:
>"I have several times nearly got caught out calling an immature
>Double-crested Cormorant a Yellow-billed Loon and have suffered
>momentary confusion with Red-necked Grebes. It is essential to know more
>of the observers experience and the circumstances of the sighting to be
>sure."
>
>Gene: You are right to be cautious. They were loons, for sure, and not
>cormorants (I've made that mistake, and learned from it) or grebes, of
>that I am sure. As far as loon species, I've certainly got some
>learning to do. You mention favoring "a combination of bill color,
>shape, size, position plus the tannish plumage tone and the dark ear
>patch on wintering Yellow-billeds." What are some of the signs you look
>for? The loon, as I mentioned in a post today, I saw had a bright
>yellow bill, and was in a "bright" plumage, too.
>
>
>