Either Kittlitz's or Marbled Murrelet...?

[Mark F]

I've made a little montage of some birds that were swimming together in the waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska on 30 June, just a week ago. They were quite far away and despite a zoom lens, the resolution is terrible. From another forum, I had two opinions, either Kittlitz's or Marbled Murrelet. In favour of Marbled, they are generally more common; however, from what I read, I am not sure that they are necessarily more common than Kittlitz's in Glacier Bay. I am leaning toward Marbled based on bill length, but I am on shaky ground! Thanks in advance.

Murrelet spp by Mark Featherstone, on Flickr

[psweet]

These guys look awfully pale, with a fair amount of white behind the eye and on the undertail coverts, and pale crowns and backs. You're apparently a bit early for juvenile Marbled Murrelets -- I'm thinking Kittlitz's for these.

[Mark F]

6 minutes ago, psweet said:

These guys look awfully pale, with a fair amount of white behind the eye and on the undertail coverts, and pale crowns and backs. You're apparently a bit early for juvenile Marbled Murrelets -- I'm thinking Kittlitz's for these.

Many thanks for the thoughtful evaluation, psweet. That’s an exciting find!