ML620068947

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

**Rare, and very seldomly detected in the western Atlantic away from Outer Banks pelagics. The first one came in ~15-20 minutes after we first started laying a chum slick, at 6:08, and hung around for 15 mins (almost constantly in view), and the second one came into the same area at 7:40, flying down the chum slick, making one close pass by the stern of the boat, and then continuing on. These wind-lovers were possibly chasing the storms that had been moving east through the night, and then were definitely chasing the chum scent we had laid. Both were right around the plotted point of the checklist. Medium-sized, stocky-bodied Pterodromas with white bodies dark underwings, solid gray cowls with no pale collar, gray tails a few shades paler than the darker gray backs. Gave a more compact and crook-winged impression than Black-capped Petrel. No flight feather molt observed, which fits Desertas Petrel (P.f.deserta), though definitive field separation of the globally rare Desertas and Cape Verde Petrel (P.f.feae) is perhaps impossible on most individuals. Photos confirmed our in-the-field suspicions that there were two different individuals involved. First records for New Jersey waters. Photos, video, sadly no audio.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D7500

ISO

5000

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

1836 pixels x 1224 pixels

Original file size

504.75 KB