Help please

[highland red]

I have just come back from an hour or so down Westerdale way, and I drove past Strathmore Lodge and stopped beside the wee Loch on the right as you go down to Loch More trail info. (sorry I can't be more specific than that as I'm not native to Caithness.

I was scanning the very calm Loch with binoculars and there appeared to be just one solitary bird on the Loch. Now I'm none too hot at recognition but whatever the bird was had the profile of one of the divers, and did indeed keep diving for fairly lengthy periods. I couldn't be more specific about which one as I haven't seen one before and I could only get it in profile and with the fading light. I felt certain that it was one of the Diver family, but when I got home and looked at the Collins British birds they are described as "rare" so I'm beginning to have my doubts now. I watched it for a while and the profile matches the photos in the book to a Tee.

This definitely wasn't a goose. Help please.
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[Ricco]

I have just come back from an hour or so down Westerdale way, and I drove past Strathmore Lodge and stopped beside the wee Loch on the right as you go down to Loch More trail info. (sorry I can't be more specific than that as I'm not native to Caithness.

I was scanning the very calm Loch with binoculars and there appeared to be just one solitary bird on the Loch. Now I'm none too hot at recognition but whatever the bird was had the profile of one of the divers, and did indeed keep diving for fairly lengthy periods. I couldn't be more specific about which one as I haven't seen one before and I could only get it in profile and with the fading light. I felt certain that it was one of the Diver family, but when I got home and looked at the Collins British birds they are described as "rare" so I'm beginning to have my doubts now. I watched it for a while and the profile matches the photos in the book to a Tee.

This definitely wasn't a goose. Help please.
http://forum.caithness.org/images/misc/progress.gif http://forum.caithness.org/images/buttons/edit.gif (http://forum.caithness.org/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=687272)
Ah, but which diver?

[highland red]

Ah, but which diver?

Cheers Ricco for your reply,this was where I was coming from. To be honest Niforo has pretty much answered my question (albeit on a screw up I made and placed my question in the wrong thread: Where have they all gone)?

There was no way that I could tell given the facts that it was fairly late in the day, and that I am not really good on identiying birds and it was only when I got home and read my Collins that it said that these were fairly rare birds.

I am in awe of most of the people on this forum and it's great to have such a wealth of knowledge to draw upon. Me and my other half are strictly "amateur but enthusiastic", but we do care for birds.

I do actually have a "spotter scope" but as it goes with these things: I only had my binoculars at the time. Thanks anyway for posing the question: which diver? I suppose I should be better prepared next time.

All the best and thanks.
P.S. I also cannot match the quality of the photography that is abundant on this forum, I have just invested in a new camera, but alas that has had to go back to the manufacturers for repair.