Lisa Hardy

2153 B Old River Road

Kingston, ID 83839

basalt@earthlink.net

Other Observers:

Date Report Prepared: 17 October 2006

Date Sighting Occurred: 16 October 2006

Locality of Observation: Hayden Lake, Kootenai County, Idaho

Habitat: freshwater

Conditions: Mostly cloudy, light breeze. Between 3 and 4 PM.

Did you take notes…

during the observation? ____________

after the observation? ______________

the same day? _______X_____________

another day?______________________

not at all? ________________________

Did you consult a field guide or other reference work?

during the observation?_____X_______

later the same day? _______________

another day? _____________________

not at all? ________________________

What guide(s) or reference(s) did you consult? Sibley 1st ed., Audubon Master Guide 1st ed., NG 2nd ed.

My overall impression was of a pale, thin-necked loon. It had a light tan-colored crown, nape and face, with a white throat and front of neck. The tan face was light enough to make the dark eye appear clearly in contrast, even in hasty, poorly-focused glimpses. Between the bill and the eye was a small white area. The shading from tan to white from back to front of neck was gradual. When viewed head-on, it had a central, dark, vertical mark on the throat. The white of the throat front was narrowed at the base. The bill was pale and carried uptilted like a cormorant.

The back was dark with light spotting. The bird sat very low in the water, but showed a white patch on the waterline about 2/3 aft.

The bird appeared larger than Red-necked Grebes seen in the same vicinity.

It was foraging continuously during the times I observed it, diving for ~30 seconds at a time, with no more than 10 seconds on the surface between dives. It would put its head underwater for a second before tilting forward to dive. It was foraging between Honeysuckle Beach and Tobler Marina on Hayden Lake, and traveling a good distance between surfacings.

I never felt I had positively identified the loon.

The Yellow-billed Loon has similar pale coloring in certain plumages, but is similar in structure to a Common Loon. This bird had a slimmer neck, head, and bill compared to a Common Loon. Also, the back was spotted, not barred as in a YBLO.

The first thought that came to me on my initial brief look was Pacific Loon. After my first looks at a distance of about a half mile, I lost the bird, but had noted the overall pale appearance, the contrasting dark eye and the pale upturned bill. At this point, I consulted the Sibley FG because it did not seem right for PALO, at least the ones I have seen, which would be breeding plumage or winter plumage. The bird did not look like any of the Sibley illustrations for PALO or RTLO. It differed from the PALO illustrations in that the dark eye stood out clearly in a light-colored face, and the white on the front of the neck shaded back gradually to the tan on the nape. Also, PALOs I have seen have a fat-headed appearance that makes me think of a cobra, which this bird lacked.

The bird differed from the (Sibley) RTLO illustrations in appearing tan rather than gray, having less white on the cheek than the picture, and again, that prominent dark eye in a light surround.

After searching for over 30 minutes, I finally relocated the bird just off Honeysuckle Beach, and rather closer than before, at a distance of perhaps a quarter mile, and with excellent light - a watery sunlight at my back. I was able to confirm the lack of a sharp border between nape and throat. I also could see a dark vertical patch in the center of the throat, visible only when the bird was head-on to me. And I could see that the dark back was spotted with light spots.

The structure and lack of a sharp color border on the side of the neck appears to eliminate PALO (and Arctic Loon). The bird most closely resembled the Sibley illustrations of juvenile and 1st summer RTLO. Or it is possibly an adult RTLO in transitional plumage.

Experience with this species (and similar species): Very little experience with Red-throated Loon, no experience with Yellow-billed Loon. Some experience with Pacific Loon, fairly familiar with Common Loon.

General birding experience: intermediate

Were photo(s), video, and/or audio obtained by you? (If yes, please include or attach) No.