Red-throated Loon????

These Digiscope photos were taken on Nov. 17, 2012, at Hoover Reservoir, Franklin County. I believe this is a juvenile Red-throated Loon, but would like other opinions. The photos are obviously not good, they were taken from a considerable distance, but hopefully they will help identify the bird.

The photos below were taken at Hoover Reservoir in Franklin County on April 30, 2012.  The subject Gull is believed to be a California Gull, pending acceptance of this identity by the Ohio Bird Records Committee.

The bird was facing directly toward me for the entire time it was in my view, thus there are no views from the side, and the dark gray plumage is not as obvious as it was when I was viewing the gull.

The yellow legs with a tinge of green are apparent in these photos. Also note the black and red areas on the bill. There is also a paler yellow or white tip. The eye appears dark in the first photo.

The second photo shows the bird with one wing raised, making the underwing visible. The black tips of the primaries is evident.

I also had a view of this bird, an immature Herring Gull and an immature Ring-billed Gull together, showing the comparative sizes, the Herring Gull being the largest and the Ring-billed the smallest. Unfortunately the subject gull left before I could photograph this grouping.

Greater Black-backed Gull 4-25-2012

The photos below are digiscope photos of a gull at Hoover Reservoir on April 25, 2012. I believe this is a third year Greater Black-backed Gull, but I have very little experience with Gulls. I would like comments from those with expertise in this area.

Unfortunately I was unable to get any better photos. The bird was preening, and when I had a side view the bird hid its head every time I took a photo.  Hopefully the photos are sufficient to ID the bird, however.

Note the pale pink legs, which I noticed while viewing the bird. Also note that in several of the photos there is a Herring Gull in front of the subject bird.