I was amazed to have even these poor shots of this distant bird through my current setup. This bird was in the neighborhood of a mile away when I photographed it from Paris Landing State Park. This is an adult, still in winter plumage. Even at this range with this poor photo, the bird can be ID'd by the combination of the long, slender neck with the small head being little more than an extention of the neck, and the flat-chested profile. All other loons, even the scarcely larger Pacific, have a noticeable chest at the waterline, whereas on this Red-throated the neck seems to drop straight to the water. At this distance I lost my resolution, and the tiny bill was largely lost in the grain, but you get the impression of the bill pointing upwards, and the extensive white on the neck and face are visible.