Hello Steve and all:
This morning I also noticed the appearance of a light, vermiculated back in
those photos, and it inspired me to run up this afternoon and have a look at
the bird for myself. It's a pure Tufted. The back is perfectly black.
Amazing how deceptive pictures can often be.
The bird wasn't as close as it could have been, but I've posted an
acceptable shot at the following site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/potoo/

Cheers,
Charlie Wright
Bonney Lake, Washington