Putns novērots lidojumā ne pārāk augstu virs ūdens līdz 1 km attālumā. Katrā ziņā teleskopā putns garumā bija apmēram pusē no skata laukuma (zoom objektīvs, precīzu palielinājumu neatceros). Pamanījām lidojumā, ka ir kāda no lielajām gārgalēm un apmēram pusminūti bija mūsu redzes laukā. Aizlidoja Z virzienā uz Igaunijas pusi. Lielbritānijas putnu vērotājs Bob Beale uzreiz to noteica kā polāro gārgali. Tā kā man nav bijusi pieredze ar lielajām gārgalēm, tad pats neņemos skaidrot par noteikšanas pazīmēm, taču te ir komentārs no Boba, kāpēc tā bija polārā gārgale, nevis dzeltenknābja:
From my point of view I think I would have liked to think it a Yellow-billed as that would have made it a new species for me and the only one I had not seen. My main reason for rejecting it as the latter, was concerning the bill. As you know, the sun was behind us and the light was good. I could clearly see that there was no difference between the colour of the head and the colour of the bill. I was struck too by the absolutely straight line from the tip of the bill right through the head and the neck to the body and I would have noticed if there was any sign of an upturned bill as there should have been if it had been a Yellow-billed. I don’t know if these two points are sufficiently definitive.