ML641531658

Observation details

In a large raft of Pink-footed Shearwater; an all dark shearwater with pink bill and pink feet, the same size as adjacent Pink-footed Shearwaters. Seen approximately 17 km southwest of Dana Point (33.36090, -117.86928) between Lausen Sea Mount and the 279 Bank. Additional details from CAM: Benson called out this bird when he saw it briefly in flight before it dropped into a large flock of mostly Pink-footed Shearwaters that were sitting on the water 17.6 kilometers southwest of Dana Point (33° 21’ 30.16” N, 117° 51’ 27.22” W). I did not see the shearwater when Benson initially saw it and, for the life of me, I could not locate it sitting on the water among the Pink-footed Shearwaters, but I did see it at least briefly when it took off with a few of the other birds and disappeared off to the north. This said, my views of this bird were not overly good, and my photos were at best mediocre, given the distance from which they were taken and the fact that it was flying off at the time. Overall, I saw this bird sufficiently well to identify with confidence, but my views were wholly insufficient to see any of the finer details of the bird’s structure or plumage patterns. My overall impression was that this bird was roughly similar in size and shape to the Pink-footed Shearwaters, in that it was a large shearwater with a relatively stocky body, long wings that were slim throughout their length and tapering from bases of medium depth to pointed tips without a sharp angle at the wrist, a relatively short tail, and a bill that appeared to be moderately long, relatively slim, and seemingly lacking the obvious nasal tubes of a Procellaria petrel. This bird’s coloration was a dark, chocolate brown, and thus it was not only darker than the Pink-footed Shearwaters, but also entirely dark below and overall more blackish, or possibly sooty-brown, as opposed to the grayish upperparts and white throats and underparts that characterized the other birds. Despite the obvious differences in plumage pattern and coloration, we found it almost impossible to pick this bird out among the other birds when it was sitting on the water. I further noted that the bill was mostly pale in coloration, yet with an obvious dark tip, but I could not see if it was yellow or pinkish basally. The eyes did not stand out as obviously light, but I could not discern their precise coloration, and I now have no recollection of seeing the color of the legs or feet when this bird took flight, though it is possible that my photos may show this.