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3 Gulf Stream Pelagic birds between Bermuda and USA (1 Viewer)

Jim the photos were all taken about 16 hrs into the 32 hr trip , approx half way between Bermuda and Port Liberty, New Jersey...
 
Not sure if you saw my note Jane, but thought I should iterate that Fulmar would be quite unusual in this area at this time of year. So I think not a bird that could be confirmed based on a photo such as this.


I did read your note. It still looks compatible with Fulmar
 
I would like to thank everyone for their valuable opinions , I know these photos are difficult . Since these are life birds I want to be very sure of a positive I.D. I think the final results look something like this for me:

1 Cory's Shearwater
2 Greater Shearwater
3 unknown due to difficult photo ,probably a Cory's with a sunlight glare on it's nape and tail . I just cant see Northern Fulmar being this far south in late June and Brown Noddy doesn't sit right either.

Thanks again to you Pelagic Pros !
steve
 
Thanks Jane and Rockfowl .On #3 the bill, tail and overall stockiness does look very good for N. Fulmar , I will have to defer to your 95% certainty and agree . Once again the lighting was awkward on that photo. Thankyou for your help!

ps here's a N. Fulmar showing the similar white on head and uppertail, looks like our bird.
 

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I don't have any experience with Fulmars... but brown uppersides? OK call me out on "photo artifacts" but then what dictates that the head color is any more accurate? And Fulmar would be quite a rarity for that lattitude. The only Cory's I have seen from land were all quite distant but were distinct in large build, heavier flight, and back pattern, which involved a distinctly lighter head.

I'm also not sure how thoroughly Manx can be ruled out from #2. I don't think I would count anything from this set but Cory's Shear for any sort of list.
 
I agree with Jane/Rockfowl, pic 3 does look like a fulmar to me too, general shape and colour looks good. It may be a bit out of range but sea birds wander widely, Seeing american birds on the east coast of England seems out of range but still happens!
 
....And I'd be agreeing unfortunately that you wouldn't really want to be ticking these as life birds unless you actually feel you saw them well (ie better than the captures might indicate, which could quite possibly be the case?) and can marry your recollections of giss/ flight action etc of the birds seen with that of the actual species in question - possibly a bit difficult to do without seeing the species again with better/more prolonged views and more informed ideas of what to be looking for....

That's after you can be sure that you're happy that this is what they actually were (concensus almost reached!)

But listing ethics is another can of worms and ultimately up to you.... ;)
 
I don't have any experience with Fulmars... but brown uppersides? OK call me out on "photo artifacts" but then what dictates that the head color is any more accurate? And Fulmar would be quite a rarity for that lattitude.

Fully agree. I think people are overestimating their abilities to identify birds from distant, blurry photographs.

And as for the supposed propensities of Fulmar to wander, apparently no one has told the Fulmar about this. More pelagic trips are made to the Gulf Stream off the coast of North Carolina-- which is approximately the latitude and location where this photo was taken -- than anywhere else on the Atlantic seaboard. Most of these are run by Brian Patteson. Looking at his trip reports for the past 15 years, the number of Northern Fulmar he has seen in June are exactly Zero. (http://www.patteson.com/). Similarly, a book written by a pelagic birder, Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic by Michael Tove, provides frequency charts for pelagic birds for pelagic trips from areas up and down the Atlantic coast. For Hatteras, North Carolina, Northern Fulmar are indicated as being completely absent for June, July, and August.

Northern Fulmar certainly winter in these southern waters, and I have seen them off Delaware myself in February. But it is well documented that they spend summer elsewhere.

Best,
Jim
 
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I'd agree with Cory's for no.1, but I'm not so sure how folk are ruling out Cory's caught at an odd angle for no.2 - bird looks to have an extensive dark head and neck (unless it's all shadow).

No.3 I'd agree with Jane & Rockfowl that it looks, based on that photo, like a fulmar structurally (and I know it'd be well out of range for the location), just worried that something odd's going on with the light on it. It too could be Cory's.

Just think 2 & 3 are not 100% identifiable from the pics.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
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Irrespective of records, usual patterns, taking into account food source depletion etc , non-breeding Fulmars could turn up anywhere in the N.A, I'll stick with my initial thoughts.

Of course it's trivially true that, conceivably, any bird could turn up anywhere, and I'm not saying it can't be a Fulmar. Just saying that no way should anyone be accepting a seriously out of season bird based on a photo like this. Anyone submitting this photo (as their only evidence) to a records committee would be laughed out of the room.

As for your initial thoughts, I have no problem with them. You stated:

Difficult with these shots but 2 looks to be a Puffinus sp. so maybe a Manx, odd rear end? The 3 looks like a Northern Fulmar. Could be wrong..
[emphasis added]

Best,
Jim
 
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Rare birds are .... rare. An out of range Fulmar, unprecedented in that region in that season would be an example of a rare bird then.....

But certainly not impossible or implausible, just because it hasn't happened before, and just as likely to be photographed by a non-expert.

But if there is some chance it could be a Cory's (or even something else) based on that one photograph, then obviously balance of probability lies in it being the far commoner species....

Anyway..... single photograph ids, don't we just love 'em? ;)
 
Likewise... if there were pale primary patch bases too, I'd put my mortgage on bird 3 being a fulmar... its way too stocky for a Cory's. I'm actually surprised its a rare bird in the area - out of territory birds are commonplace in May June here.... I recall seeing one going across the M62 at Saddleworth moor once - I even thought it was a Gyr falcon for a bit.

For the plumage not to photgraphic artefact, it would have to be an intermediate bired - a bit like this one

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/2995689329_1207f348c1.jpg?v=0
 
Photo 2 can't be a Great Shearwater, it looks like its got a clean white belly and underwings and got far too much black on the sides of its face, I'd go for a Manxie.

I can't make photo 3 in to a Fulmar, but can't make it in to anything else either.
 
I am still debating as to which birds to actually add to my lifelist from this set.
I spent quite a bit of time with the bins on these birds but as you all know they are new to me and I had no experienced birders around to help.

As I was birding and before looking at the "snapshots" I was confident I was seeing Cory's and Greater/Manx Shearwaters. I realize photo 3 is a lost cause but I would like to get a more definite decision on bird #2... If possible . If not that's a bird for another day .

I have enjoyed the discussion and thankyou to all!
 
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