Apparent Soft-plumaged Petrel photographed in arctic Norway

[Angus Wilson]

Talk about over the top!?On 6 Jun 2009, Graham Catley photographed an apparent SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL?in the fjord off Nesseby, Varanger in the Finnmark region of arctic Norway (70°?8′?29″?N,?28°?36′?30″?E).?

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2009/07/soft-plumaged-petrel-varanger-find-of.html

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2009/06/big-pterodroma.html

On brief examination, the bird does look suspiciously like a Soft-plumaged Petrel (Pterodroma mollis) rather than Fea's, Desertas or Zino's but it would be interesting to hear from the various experts lurking on this list. Can Zino's be firmly ruled out??Obviously there are now records attributed to Fea's from many locations around the North Atlantic basin and I think observers have become more relaxed about the identification criteria, especially off distant birds.?

Angus Wilson
New York City/Springs
http://www.oceanwanderers.com

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[Seabird News]

Oops, somehow Google munched the links to Graham's blog. Here they are
again.

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2009/06/big-pterodroma.html

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2009/07/soft-plumaged-petrel-varanger-find-of.html

http://pewit.blogspot.com/2009/07/soft-plumaged-petrel-2.html

Angus Wilson