Hi Tweets,

Michael Dossett writes (and quotes):

>Michael Price wrote:
>
>>Actually, it's Michael... '-)
>
>Sorry about that, I get picky about that sort of thing too sometimes.

No worries. Not picky, just a preference.

Re the mystery bird:

>I did notice that there seemed to be more white on the sides of the head
>than on the nearby Common Loons,

This is an impression often inspired by the contrast of adjacent pale areas
to the darker auricular spot on a Basic-plumaged Yellow-billed Loon (Gavi
adamsii).

>but it was brownish gray extending from
>the top of the head down the back of the neck, and the bulk of the
>visible body.

Actually, this is the strongest supporting detail for an ID of Yellow-billed
Loon in your remarks. Whereas Common Loon (G. immer) has a bicolored
neck--front half white, rear half cold dark brown/grey, with a couple of
indentations along the dividing line--Yellow-billed (G. adamsii) has a pale
brownish neck with a darker brown stripe on the rear-neck exactly as you
described, especially so in juveniles. Juv/immature cormorants also lack
this configuration.

(snip)
>Sorry for the ambiguity, this probably doesn't help much, but it is about
>the best I can do.

Hey, I don't often get to disagree with someone on this list '-) so it's
nice to be able to disagree with you on this point, and say your
supplemetary description actually helped a lot. Realistically, it doesn't
establish the ID by any shot, and would never satisfy a rarities committee,
but it *does* help to help point the way to a provisional ID as you supplied
detail which suggests that the bird you saw was a Yellow-billed Loon. Hope
you get to see it again to be certain. Don't leave the house without
checking to see if you've got your bins with you! '-)

>Thanks for your help.

Fun to help!

M

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)