ML55938331

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Around 10am this morning I was looking for a MARBLED GODWIT which was previously on the ballfields on Park Point. I walked over to the lake side to scan the beach for it, when I came across a dead specimen. I figured it was a likely a RBGU (Ring-billed Gull) as I found one earlier on the ballfields, but was struck how dark the mantle was, so I investigated further. As I approached the bird I could see it had been very recently predated. I saw two PEFA within the last 30 min or so of finding bird within close vicinity of it. The chest cavity had been eaten and it looked very much like a PEFA (Peregrine Falcon) kill which I have seen before. I noticed right away the small stubby bill and instantly recognized it as a tube-nose (Procellariidae). Being from the East coast of England my first guess it was a NORTHERN FULMAR. The bird was dry, so it had not been washed up. The temperature was around 25F with a cold NW wind around 10mph. We have had consistently easterly winds for many days, some with sustained winds of 20-30mph (Monday as an example). The bird was not frozen, even the eyes were soft and the innerds soft also. Wings flexible, so I think the bird was likely alive, but stranded on the beach (sick, hungry?) making it an easy catch for the PEFA. Was the bird stranded on the beach, or alive and well, but then by a PEFA in the air? We likely will never know. Based on the white tail detailed in the photos it appears to be an Atlantic bird, not Pacific.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 6 Plus

Lens

iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2

ISO

32

Focal length

4.2 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/2.2

Shutter speed

1/542 sec

Dimensions

3264 pixels x 2448 pixels

Original file size

4.38 MB