After searching since dawn I finally saw the bird from the boat ramp north
of the beach around 10:30am. It never fails to amaze me how well loons can
cover a lot of distance and avoid detection. I never would have found the
bird initially if it weren't for the Bonaparte's hounding it while it was
swimming!

It was diving with only brief pauses at the surface, but then spent some
time preening out in the middle of the lake. That's when I had sufficient
views of the head/neck pattern and white flanks that weren't too extensive
and which didn't peak at the rump (darn!).

After a while I realized it was drifting towards the beach near the
campground so I rushed over there and arrived just in time to get nice
looks at the bird: Small bill, rounder head than nearby commons, smaller
than the nearby Commons. I never saw the vent. At the beach, I saw a small
dark bill and round head were barely visible, straight edge to the white on
the front of the neck was seen from both locations (no pale notch as on
common), and the contrasting white cheek didn't extend up as far onto the
face and neck as some of the more "high contrast" commons present (one of
which is sporting a solid dark bill). I thought I saw a chin strap while it
was preening on 3 occasions -- each time while reaching is bill back across
its body exposing the chin and neck A
area -- but still at that distance I was hesitant to believe that's what it
was. From the beach, I saw at least a partial chin strap but didn't see if
it connected or not.

No photos, unfortunately. Too distant initially (I opted to stare instead,
to see if I could see a chin and/or vent strap) and then it was seen too
briefly to get my phone out at the beach.

Oh, and if anyone has access to a boat... ;-)

Good birding,
Paul Hurtado

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