A cormorant or other diving bird such as a grebe or merganser. These have a much more slender profile than the ducks more familiar to most people. If it does not reappear, the incident enters the evidence. If it flies away it is often identified. The apparent height of an object can be exaggerated by mirage or heat haze in calm conditions. Swans are another possible cause for confusion since they often swim in line and can appear dark with the light behind them. Sometimes monsters are described as having a “swan neck”. Alternatively in some species such as the Black and Red-throated Divers, the neck can be darker coloured than the body and disappears altogether, leaving only a "hump" visible.

(See Timeline 1903, Bathymetrical Survey and Shine and Martin 1988, p: 163-67)

Loch Ness Project:
Derek Colclough

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