Diver, Fife Ness, Scotland 13/10/14 (1 Viewer)

[Stonefaction]

While doing a spot of sea-watching earlier this week at Fife Ness, I spotted this Diver. I suspect it is most likely a moulting Great Northern but I'm not 100% sure as the photos aren't particularly great. I can usually see the bill on Red Throated against the sea no matter the conditions but the bill on this one is almost invisible in a few photos. The neck looks thicker than Red Throated too. I did see a distant Summer plumaged GND earlier as well as a few RTDs. This was the only one that I was a bit uncertain of.

 

[timsg80]

Looks like a Great Northern Diver to me.

 

[Nutcracker]

Yep, Great Northern.

 

[chris butterworth]

Great Northern Diver. Red-throated would be a lot slenderer and the head / neck pattern are wrong for Black-throated.

 

[tittletattler]

Great Northern Diver. Red-throated would be a lot slenderer and the head / neck pattern are wrong for Black-throated.

Are there any other options?

 

[Nutcracker]

Are there any other options?

White-billed can be excluded as the bill is clearly dark in pic #4 at least.

 

['roy]

Surely this is an adult White-billed Diver?! Amongst other things, the ivory bill is clear in the pics - especially #3 and #5.

 

[Ratal]

Adult White Billed for me. Pics are good too

 

[chris butterworth]

The bill looks steel grey to me, not the ivory colour I'd expect from a White-billed.

 

['roy]

Not sure how this could get much more ivory...

 

[tittletattler]

Not sure how this could get much more ivory...

:-O

I was going to draft a lenghty post in my lunch hour but you've saved me a job.

:t:

 

[Adam W]

Not sure how this could get much more ivory...

That was my first thought but I'm not convinced that the apparent ivory bill isnt actually a pale area on the water behind it.

 

[tittletattler]

That was my first thought but I'm not convinced that the apparent ivory bill isnt actually a pale area on the water behind it.

Fair point (and always question everything) but the bill is pale in each photo.

Also note:

• Length of the bill
• Straight culmen
• Angular head shape
• Leg size
• Head colour

The dark area at the base of the upper mandible is feathering.

These two links are useful:

GND

http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/bp_great_northern_diver_10_220407_450.jpg

WBD


http://parrotletsuk.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ef87d40883301a3fb620fbc970b-popup

Cheers,

Andy.

 

[jogresh]

WBD surely? :t:

 

[Ratal]

Big white bill is not an artefact of the ocean behind. My monies are on WBD.

 

[Nutcracker]

Still Great Northern for me, the bill is simply not large enough, and not white enough, particularly not the base of the upper mandible. GND bills can appear very pale in some light conditions, but not gleaming white, which White-billed would, but these photos don't.

 

[Tiraya]

I don't see any reason to jump on WBD yet. Just because the bill is pale doesn't mean it is a white-billed.

 

[tittletattler]

Still Great Northern for me, the bill is simply not large enough, and not white enough, particularly not the base of the upper mandible. GND bills can appear very pale in some light conditions, but not gleaming white, which White-billed would, but these photos don't.

If you can't be bothered to read what has been said above and/or view the links (whilst failing to provide links of your own to support your argument) then your opinion counts for nothing.

You and Silverwolf are usually better than this.

 

[Jane Turner]

Wouldn't you want to be seeing a lot more white on the face and paleness to the rear neck to be calling this a certain WBD?

Like this

http://www.air-internet-arnhem.net/vglwebsite/images/b1980-b.jpg

 

[Jane Turner]

Though it is very like this one