Algarve Shearwaters (1 Viewer)

[ndsutcliffe]

Going through old photos I came across this one from September last year taken off Carrapateira, on the Algarve west coast.

Several birds on here - interested to know what species people see on here - particularly the one on the mid right. Uniformly dark so could be Sooty? Or could be just the angle showing upperparts only. However the birds top left are much less dark, obviously in the same light conditions?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

My guess is that these are all Balearic Shearwaters, including the dark bird. It looks a similar size to the others and the angle means we're mostly seeing the upperparts. It's certainly a darker than average bird, but there's a lot of variation. See illustrations in the Collins Guide for a dark bird alongside a Sooty.

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Looks like Cory’s & a Sooty, though maybe some Balearic in there too (Given the distance - Scopoli’s & Yelkouan would be hard to claim with just this photo, but could be alternatives)

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Looks like Cory’s & a Sooty, though maybe some Balearic in there too (Given the distance - Scopoli’s & Yelkouan would be hard to claim with just this photo, but could be alternatives)

I would expect to see much heavier, paler and yellower bills on Cory's and much more clearly demarcated black and white in the underwing primaries and cleaner white undertail coverts. The two birds in the top left clearly have brownish plumage going more-or-less down to the bellies as well, as would be expected on Balearic. Note also, where you can see the underwings, the birds show extensive smudgy dark markings around the armpit and brownish markings along the flanks. These are good for Balearic but inconsistent with Cory's/Scopoli's.

 

[Ilya Maclean]

The one in the top-left with its wings outstretched has the juzz of a Cory's to my eye - the classic two-toned upperwing, slightly bent carpels etc. The others look like Balearic Shearwaters - including the dark one on the right being mooted as Sooty. It's got the classic pot-bellied rear-weighted look to it rather than the more streamlined cigar shaped body of a Sooty

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The one in the top-left with its wings outstretched has the juzz of a Cory's to my eye - the classic two-toned upperwing, slightly bent carpels etc. The others look like Balearic Shearwaters - including the dark one on the right being mooted as Sooty. It's got the classic pot-bellied rear-weighted look to it rather than the more streamlined cigar shaped body of a Sooty

That bird doesn't show a yellow bill, looks the same size as the more obvious Balearic next to it, and the breast seems too extensively brown for Cory's without any white. I think the two toned upperwing is most likely a photographic effect.

 

[Paul Chapman]

That bird doesn't show a yellow bill, looks the same size as the more obvious Balearic next to it, and the breast seems too extensively brown for Cory's without any white. I think the two toned upperwing is most likely a photographic effect.

I would agree with that. I think that the bird alongside makes it a Balearic for me. So I can see five Balearics & a clear Sooty Shearwater for me. (I can see a bit of another Shearwater that I assume is a Balearic.)

A very dark Balearic Shearwater in the linked checklist that looked darker in my pics than some others & was discussed at the time with Bob Flood & others:-

https://ebird.org/checklist/S195819871

ML624027802 - Balearic Shearwater - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML624027802; © Paul Chapman; Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

macaulaylibrary.org

I tried to find a Sooty Shearwater pic of mine in a similar posture & came up with this:-

ML624350615 - Sooty Shearwater - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML624350615; © Paul Chapman; Lima, Peru

macaulaylibrary.org

For me, the bird in the OP on the right is a Sooty Shearwater.

All the best

Paul

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I would agree with that. I think that the bird alongside makes it a Balearic for me. So I can see five Balearics & a clear Sooty Shearwater for me. (I can see a bit of another Shearwater that I assume is a Balearic.)

A very dark Balearic Shearwater in the linked checklist that looked darker in my pics than some others & was discussed at the time with Bob Flood & others:-

https://ebird.org/checklist/S195819871

ML624027802 - Balearic Shearwater - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML624027802; © Paul Chapman; Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

macaulaylibrary.org

I tried to find a Sooty Shearwater pic of mine in a similar posture & came up with this:-

ML624350615 - Sooty Shearwater - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML624350615; © Paul Chapman; Lima, Peru

macaulaylibrary.org

For me, the bird in the OP on the right is a Sooty Shearwater.

All the best

Paul

I still favour a dark Balearic for that bird. I'd expect a Sooty to look noticeably bigger than the other shearwaters and, as Ilya mentions, it also seems to have the classic pot-bellied shape of a Balearic. I definitely don't think it's a clear Sooty.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I still favour a dark Balearic for that bird. I'd expect a Sooty to look noticeably bigger than the other shearwaters and, as Ilya mentions, it also seems to have the classic pot-bellied shape of a Balearic. I definitely don't think it's a clear Sooty.

I do not know how much anyone on here plays with the AI tools or indeed, spends on their own photo identification. I take a lot of terrible photos. 😀

Each to their own on opinion but I find it fascinating trying to understand for instance how Merlin & others reach conclusions based on structure etc. I have often been tempted to add the Merlin conclusion to threads on here but suspect that I would be burned as a heretic. 😅

Three of the birds clipped below. Obviously different structures for me & Merlin agreed. I may or may not be right. Not many Sooty Shearwaters last year for me - maybe a 100 or so - but I reckoned that I stared at 10,000 plus in 2023. Short-tailed Shearwater confuses the hell out of me...

I like the size point but in different planes, not sure how helpful alongside Balearic as opposed to Manx. A Shearwater pic from last year on the Scillies showing your size point. 👍

All the best

Paul

 

[ndsutcliffe]

Thanks everyone for the contributions, an interesting discussion, and clearly it has divided opinion. Having consulted Collins I can see the point about Dark Balearic. But what about wing shape? I feel that I can see a longer more slender looking wing which is one of the reasons I was thinking Sooty. Any views?

 

[Paul Chapman]

Thanks everyone for the contributions, an interesting discussion, and clearly it has divided opinion. Having consulted Collins I can see the point about Dark Balearic. But what about wing shape? I feel that I can see a longer more slender looking wing which is one of the reasons I was thinking Sooty. Any views?

You know my view. 😀

 

[RyanI]

Thanks everyone for the contributions, an interesting discussion, and clearly it has divided opinion. Having consulted Collins I can see the point about Dark Balearic. But what about wing shape? I feel that I can see a longer more slender looking wing which is one of the reasons I was thinking Sooty. Any views?

Balearic for me, as mentioned above by others the jizz looks all wrong for sooty imo

 

[ndsutcliffe]

Ok thanks all. Definitely no concensus here. As the predominant species in that area, I'll leave it at Balearic.