ML647188681

Podrobnosti k pozorování

At almost the same time as the previous day (18:23 today, 18:21 yesterday), a tubenose showing all features, inc. all-dark plumage, size, structure, wing shape and flight, of a Mascarene Petrel was seen for over 3 minutes heading East. A not so good but still identifiable video of the bird, in comparison with a dark Wedge-tailed Shearwarter, was taken with the phone through the scope, where most of the features mentioned below are clearly visible. I can't upload it here but the ebird reviewer has already seen it and accepted it and if someone is interested I can send it by email. Again, like yesterdays sighting, the bird immediately stood out as soon as it entered my field of view, in comparison with nearby Wedge-taileds, being smaller, more robust overall, long-necked but not so proportionally "small-headed", and seemingly a bit shorter-tailed/rear-ended, with a different flight style - low down most of the time, more purposeful, less "leisurely", on a direct, not zigzagging path, wing flapping strongly, gliding and then doing relatively low arches, and with much stiffer wing beats -, very different wing shape - being very "straight" and even-width, long, not very pointed and not angled at all when doing arches -, and with a noticeably thicker, seemingly dark, bill. I emphasize I am well aware sightings without documentation might not be acceptable. However, on the other hand, I also think given all features, in this case visible on the video for everyone to check too, point towards Mascarene, and rule out the most similar Jouanins and Great-winged Petrels (both far less likely here), that it's important to alert birders that such “Mascarene-type" birds are definitely being seen at this time of the year from this location, in very small numbers, in the late afernoon, and seem to be identifiable from land based on Shirihai's -who saw all his birds just a few miles offshore to the SE of this headland, so shouldn’t be that unexpected then - and Flood's descriptions of the species at sea. At the very least, calling these birds presumed or probable aterrima seems more than reasonable to me. Perhaps a new ebird category of Mascarene/Jouanins -the latter I think can be ruled out in this case-, should be added, so that birds seen from land, not very well, can also be included and approved, and other birders should definitely be paying attention for similar birds when seawatching in the SW. Update: World seabird expert Bob Flood has seen the video of the bird and fully agrees with the identification as Mascarene, so this seems to be the first documented record of one seen from land*