Hi Karl,
Wow!! My advice in this situation would be to advertise this on the
BIRDING-AUS newsgroup. They have had similar difficulties with our
SIPO and their OZPO as you may be aware, and I would think they may
well have an opinion on this matter.
Their email is
birding aus <>
If you are not subscribed just ask them to reply in person.
An excellent find!
Cheers
Brent
Hi,
On Saturday 23rd the Christchurch branch of OSNZ had a field trip to
Lake Ellesmere.
On the lake fringe at the end of Wolfes Road there were 2 all dark
oystercatchers. As
variables are very unusual at this site and this habitat (reed
fringed mud) they were
looked at in more detail than typical for this species.
Both birds had tails that projected beyond the wing tip. Both
Shorebirds and Handbook
of the Birds of the World state that this is the only feature that
distinguishes sooty
oystercatcher from the black phase of variable. A visit on Sunday
evening allowed me
to note that on at least one of the birds the wing feathers were
very fresh (revealed
during a wing stretch); therefore, the projection of the tail beyond
the wing was a real
feature and not caused by a shortened wing as the result of
abrassion to the wing tip.
The length of tail projection was estimated as 4/5th of the distance
between the bill
base and the start of the eye. It matches perfectly the plate in the
Handbook of the
Birds of the World. Whilst I have not yet been able to access volume 2 of the
Australasian Handbook it appears that the birds are sooty
oystercatchers. If so, this
would be the first proven record for NZ - although Collin Hill
photographeda probable
bird a few years ago.
The birds are immatures with dull legs, darkish tip to the bill and
a brownish cast to the
body feathers that is slightly more noticeable on the upperparts -
compared to the
underparts.
Does anybody know the extent of tail projection demonstrated by
sooty oystercatchers
or if variables can ever show tail projection?
Would it be necessary to catch a bird and take biometrics to be certain of the
identification?
Cheers
Karl
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