ML490036951

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

This bird was on the water with a small flock of PFSHs. We followed it multiple times over for about 40 minutes as it flushed, flew, and landed with a different group. It was slightly smaller and browner-backed than the PFSHs with a long neck and distinctive pale head (though difficult to see when turned away). The pale head was basically white across the face and becoming mottled with darker feathers distally becoming darkest on the nape. The bill was long and horn colored. Flight was snappier and lighter than PF with wings bowed down in glides (I heard comparison to Cory’s Shearwater, a bird with which I’m not very familiar). It wasn’t unlike a Buller’s Shearwater when moving away, though shaped differently in profile. Many photos were taken revealing additional details that were difficult to see in the field such as underwing pattern, bold scaling on the mantle, and what looks like a lack of molt limits (indicating a hatch-year bird).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 6D

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

1024 pixels x 684 pixels

Original file size

337.29 KB