We have another chumming session. I learn a few more birds. This is what we will see, according to our guides - "Black-browed Albatross, Campbell Island Albatross, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Salvin’s Albatross, Sooty Shearwater and Little Shearwater. There should be plenty of petrels and, again, the hard to identify prion species."
I think this mollymawk below is either a Salvin's or a Black-browed?
This is the Salvin's from Wikipedia: "The Salvin's adult bird has a silver-grey crown. Its face, upper throat, and upper mantle are grey, and its back, upperwing, and tail are grey-black. It has a white rump and underparts with a black thumbmark on underwing and black narrow leading and trailing edges on the wing and black wing tips. It's bill is pale grey-green with a pale yellow upper ridge, and a bright yellow tip on the upper mandible, and a dark spot on the tip of the lower mandible. The immature Salvin is different again." Even with this I am struggling to really identify this bird.
Two Salvin's.
Then here top one is a Salvin's and bottom one is a Southern Royal.
Light mantled sooty is easy. I think I have this one off pat now.
This is a Black Browed Albatross. It has a dark grey saddle and upperwings that contrast with the white rump, and underparts. The underwing is predominantly white with broad, irregular, black margins. It has a dark eyebrow and a yellow-orange bill with a darker reddish-orange tip. Juveniles are also different. I will just learn about adults first.
Campbell Island albatross, Wikipedia description: "The adult is very similar to the black-browed albatross, differing in eye color. It has a white head, neck, rump, and underparts, with a black upperwing, back, and tail. The underwing is white with broad black edging. It has a black triangle around the eye that reaches the bill, which is yellow with an orange tip. They also have a pale yellow iris."
Juveniles are also different. I am not sure I have this differentiation. Some birder will come back to me if I have it wrong. As you can see you really have to have a good pair of binoculars to see these birds - they don't stop for you!
Sooty shearwater from Wikipedia: "This shearwater is identifiable by its dark plumage, which is responsible for its name. In poor viewing conditions, it looks all black, but in good light, it shows as dark chocolate-brown with a silvery strip along the center of the underwing."
Eric gives a talk on 'Shearwaters and Petrels'. These are my notes:
Northern petrels - greenish tip to the bill.
Southern petrels - a southern pulmar petrel - has a fluffy bottom.
Antarctic petrel is very attractive, looks a bit like a gull, dip nose and can pick up smells from miles away.
Cape petrel - eats on the wing, does not land to eat.
Blue petrel - similar to a prion. Has a white tip to the tail.
Herald petrel - Grey winged and grey based with a white body.
Atlantic petrel - White body, Soft plumage petrel.
Grey back storm petrel - smallest seabird in the world, 10-12 cm.
Petrels are named after St Peter as they look like they walk on water like St Peter.
Shearwaters glide and petrels flap.
Sub-antarctic shearwater - Prions are also shearwaters, very difficult to tell the difference. Look at tail markings, markings on face, size and colour of bill, and is there a collar present.
Antarctic petrel has a collar darker in contrast with head and pointy tail.
Fairy prion has a short bill.
No wonder I am confused. When I came back, Bill said he had been on deck while we were all at the talk and seen a blue eyed, grey winged, green eyed, black browed petrel penguin that was extremely rare. I laughed and laughed. This birdwatching is serious and I am none the wiser in knowing some albatrosses and petrels from others. I am still not sure whether in that first video they are Salvin's or black browed? Or something else? I will leave the prions for another day, and I get it takes (a lot of) practice.
More deck watching.
A Wilson's storm petrel.
And a Wandering albatross.
