Is this a Wedge-tailed Shearwater? (1 Viewer)

HelenB

Opus Editor and Expat from Cumbria

Opus Editor

• Feb 26, 2004

• #1

My husband managed to get some great shots of this shearwater while our ship was sailing up the Pacific coast between Costa Rica and southern Mexico. There were quite a few that would come close into the ship to catch the flying fish that were flying off along the ship's bow wave.

Anyway, we think it's a Wedge-tailed, perhaps a juvenile and would really appreciate a confirmation from someone with experience of pelagics. Thanks. I've included a shot to show that it was white below.

 

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Jane Turner

Well-known member

• Feb 26, 2004

• #2

Its a stunning pic.. and I havn't seen anything like it.. its bed time.. will have a cogitate tomorrow!

 

E

Edward woodwood

Member

• Feb 27, 2004

• #3

not seen many (only a few in Indonesia) but it does look like a pale morph. I never found the pale underwing that easy to see in the field
good rec. for S. Mexico though?

 

HelenB

Opus Editor and Expat from Cumbria

Opus Editor

• Feb 27, 2004

• #4

Thought I'd just post another pic of this shearwater. It may help with the ID. I did a search on Google advanced for photos of Wedge-taileds and couldn't find anything to really help. There were a couple of the birds in their nest burrows, but you couldn't see the tails!

 

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Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Feb 27, 2004

• #5

Hi Helen,

I saw quite a lot of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters that looked like this in Mauritius last year. They threw me a bit at first, particularly as the pale phase isn't illustrated in the field guide for the area (it is in Harrison's "Seabirds" though). So I reckon that's what you have here, as I can't think of any other large shearwaters that could show similar features.

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Feb 27, 2004

• #6

With that striking mantle pattern and the extent of dark on the underside wingtips, Wedge-tailed is your only option.

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Feb 27, 2004

• #7

HelenB said:

There were a couple of the birds in their nest burrows,

Click to expand...

If they were at their nests, they have to be Wedge-tailed, no other large shearwater nests even remotely near the area. But even this may be a new colony - HBW lists the only East Pacific colony as the Revillagigedo Is. (19°N 111°W), well to the northwest of your route.

Well worth reporting any nesting behaviour.

Michael

 

HelenB

Opus Editor and Expat from Cumbria

Opus Editor

• Feb 27, 2004

• #8

Michael,
We only saw the birds out at sea. The nesting birds I referred to were in the photos I found online! Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Charles - thanks for the confirmation.

Andrew - last night I actually found some illustrations of both phases in my Robertson & Heather "Birds of NZ". Although even that book shows them as being a much greyer brown than the ones we saw.

Thanks also to Jane and Tim for your replies.