ML612398814

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Ranson initially spotted a large, dark shearwater among a mixed flock of Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters that were sitting on the water in the northwestern part of the basin 23¼ kilometers south of the southern shore of Santa Cruz Island at 33° 45' 10.99" N, 119° 46' 53.30" W. We approached these birds only moderately before the Flesh-footed took flight and disappeared. This bird was therefore seen primarily while it sat on the water at moderate distance, but in reasonably good light. This bird appeared similar to the Pink-footed Shearwaters in its size and shape. I noted a short bill that was stouter than that of a Sooty Shearwater in the flock. The crown was rounded on a head of unremarkable size for a shearwater, the neck was relatively short and stout, and the body was plump and sitting lower on the water than that of a gull, but like those of the Pink-footed Shearwaters. The wings did not appear particularly long when the bird was on the water, but when it took flight, they appeared to be long, relatively slim throughout their length, and tapering to pointed tips. We also noted that this bird flew with the slow wingbeats of a Pink-footed Shearwater as opposed to the deeper and faster flapping of a Sooty Shearwater. When seen on the water, this bird appeared to be a dark, sooty-brown throughout, and without the foreneck or breast contrasting as paler. And when this bird took flight, it was clear that the underparts were the same sooty-brown as the head, neck, and upperparts. Unfortunately, because the bird flew off almost directly away from us, I was unable to see the underwing pattern clearly, but what I could see appeared to be uniformly dark. When we saw the bird on the water at a distance, its pale bill appeared similar in both its shape and coloration to those of the Pink-footed Shearwaters, and it likewise had a dark tip. The eyes were dark, but I never clearly saw the legs or feet.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS R7

Lens

RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

ISO

320

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

1347 pixels x 898 pixels

Original file size

862.5 KB