Loon or Grebe

This picture was taken at the edge of Lake Ontario in Hamilton on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at about 1 0'clock pm. For elevation ask Ruth (Body, soul and spirit.) I previously said it was a Western Grebe, but it also may have been a Red-throated Loon. I'm still comparing the two species but because it was continually diving, I could only get one, slightly poor photograph of this mystery bird. If any of can are able to contact a experienced birder (preferably David Allen Sibley) and ask him to check this out it would be greatly appreciated. I've narrowed it down to the Red-throated Loon and the Western Grebe because it had a; yellow-black, slightly upturned long bill, gray-black crown, bright red eye, black eye-ring, gray supercillium, brown-rufos neck, brown back, white undertail. It may have been a hybrid but that would be unlikely, but if it was the female would have to be a Western Grebe and the male, a Red-throated Loon because it had more grebe plumage features than a loon. It dived for about 1-2 minutes at a time without looking down first and always came up a different spot then would go in alert posture and dive again, repeatedly. It was solitary and away from any other waterfowl, very close to shore and it was silent. Any bird that considered flying where it was would leave immediately as soon as it saw this mystery bird.

If you or anyone you know may have an idea what this is, please comment ON THIS POST or e-mail me at swpsnook@live.ca .

Goodbye,

Birdman