Re: possible Streaked Shearwater

[Nate Dias]

Michael,

As usual, I enjoy living vicariously through reading your reports.

You did not mention one of the key field marks for Streaked Shearwaters versus Pink-footed and others - the very languid flight style that is a hallmark of Calonectris Shearwaters. (well, you might have mentioned it in passing - I just re-read your message and saw the bit about it flying away 'lazily' )

I have only seen 3 Streaked Shearwaters (all off CA), but each one had a strikingly different flight style from other pacific Shearwaters, and was a dead ringer for the flight style of Cory's Shearwaters I am so used to in the Atlantic.

This flight style (and to a much lesser extent the bird's size) made it easy to "get on" a couple of those Streaked Shearwaters again and again, after losing them amid large flocks while helping other birders get on them.

Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC

PS If only NOAA would focus on seabirds during their Atlantic research cruises as much as they do on Pacific ones. Or even close to as much. I just don't understand the apparent difference in culture/mindset between them...

As one example: NOAA has done multiple expeditions to the Charleston Bump, with nary a seabird researcher or spotter on board. This is too bad, as there is a lot that could be learned there about Black-capped Petrels, Bermuda Petrels and other severely at-risk species...


Subject: possible Streaked Shearwater
From: Force <pago...@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:26:15 -0800 (PST)

Birders,

For any birders venturing off shore in the next little while I thought
I'd pass on a bird seen today believed to be a Streaked Shearwater.
Distance and lighting conditions preclude making a definitive
identification, feeling it's best to be cautious with these species
which can show some extreme variation. I've seen plenty of Streaked
Shearwaters around the Marianas Islands and their white head can be
striking at a distance, such as the bird seen today. Its underparts
were pure white, the underwings also appeared white. I couldn't see
the distinctive carpal patch formed by the brownish under primary
coverts. It was Pink-footed sized, and brown on the upperparts.. It
was a cloudless morning, the light was low off the port bow, some haze
and I was using prism-stabilised 20x and ship-mounted 25x binoculars.
Not long after getting on the 25x, the bird promptly turned and lazily
flew directly away into the glare! By then, it was almost 2 nmi away.
Not the best sighting conditions by any stretch of the imagination.
Pelagic birding has more than its fair share of "ones that got away".
We never saw it again and it remains unidentified.

Plenty of seabirds and high diversity the past few days, particularly
in the Outer Santa Barbara Channel, southeast of San Nicolas Island.
Six species of shearwaters, all the expected ones (two Flesh-foots
today), thousands of Pink-foots, and lots of fulmars (over a hundred
today). An adult Red-billed Tropicbird seen executing a heart stopping
high-altitude plunge dive was a classy species we hadn't seen for a
while.

happy seabirding,

Michael Force
currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur II
about 85 nmi S of San Nicolas Island, CA

[Force]

Thanks for your input Nate. Yes indeed. I've seen plenty of Streaked
and Cory's Shearwaters and they do have a very distinctive lazy
flight, Cory's particularly reminiscent of an albatross. That said,
the bird we saw the other day did possess such a manner of flight.
However, it was ridiculously distant, and I would like a little more
than that before I call it a Cory's! Pretty sure that's what it was
though. Too bad it was so far away.

happy seabirding,
Michael

On Nov 25, 7:26 am, Nate Dias <offshorebir...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Michael,
>
> As usual, I enjoy living vicariously through reading your reports.  
>
> You did not mention one of the key field marks for Streaked Shearwaters versus Pink-footed and others - the very languid flight style that is a hallmark of Calonectris Shearwaters.  (well, you might have mentioned it in passing - I just re-read your message and saw the bit about it flying away 'lazily' )
>
> I have only seen 3 Streaked Shearwaters (all off CA), but each one had a strikingly different flight style from other pacific Shearwaters, and was a dead ringer for the flight style of Cory's Shearwaters I am so used to in the Atlantic.
>
> This flight style (and to a much lesser extent the bird's size) made it easy to "get on" a couple of those  Streaked Shearwaters again and again, after losing them amid large flocks while helping other birders get on them.
>
> Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
>
> PS If only NOAA would focus on seabirds during their Atlantic research cruises as much as they do on Pacific ones.   Or even close to as much.   I just don't understand the apparent difference in culture/mindset between them...
>
> As one example:  NOAA has done multiple expeditions to the Charleston Bump, with nary a seabird researcher or spotter on board.  This is too bad, as there is a lot that could be learned there about Black-capped Petrels, Bermuda Petrels and other severely at-risk species...
>
> Subject: possible Streaked Shearwater

> From: Force <pagodr...@yahoo.com>

> about 30 nmi SW of San Nicolas Island, CA