Hi Tom,
Thanks for your inputs and those of others who have offered their opinions.
It is worth noting that opinions differ markedly in Singapore and Australia,
and that the Records Committee in Singapore is evaluating the recent shearwater
records very carefully. As shearwaters occur very rarely in Singapore, it is
prudent to consult others who may have more experience wiht them. This is what
I was trying to achieve here.
Best wishes,
Kim Seng
From: David James <>
To: Birding Aus <>; ""
<>
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:09 AM
Subject: Shearwater in Singapore
Tom and Kim,
I'm not convinced by the arguments that the shearwaters from Singapore are Sooty
<https://picasaweb.google.com/aviceda/SingaporeShearwater>
as claimed by others on this forum.
It seems that a lot of attention has been placed on photo 7. It looks like this
photo was taken at a different time of day to the others, when the sun was low.
How many birds are involved? The photo shows a bird with an entirely white
underwing except for a narrow dark border, and a white breast. Superficially
this is good for neither Sooty (SS) nor Short-tailed (STS). It is an artifact
of the bright sunlight reflecting off the water (from the left and front of the
bird) onto the reflective plumage on the underside of the bird and contrasting
with the uneven light from the low angle of the sun. SS has greater contrast
and sharper demarcation in the underwing between the silvery lining and the
darker margins than STS does... under good even light. STS has more extensive
pale, reflective feathering but less contrast in the underwing. The extensively
pale underwing of photo 7 with only a narrow dark border (largely reflective
lesser coverts) is not
possible in a SS. The hooded impression and pale breast is typical of a worn
STS.
Photos 3, 5 and maybe 6 show a dark brown wedge at the base of the inner wing
formed by a few feather tracts. Sooty always shows a pattern similar to this,
but short-tailed sometimes does too. The resolution is not there to quite
there. The pale face, short body, short, wings with rounded tips lend more to
STS than SS, I reckon.
Other photos are not entirely conclusive when they stand alone. 1, 2, 3, & 7
look long winged (like Sooty) but 4-6 do not. most seem to have short, stocky
bodies with rounded chests. 2-5 and the left bird in 1 have high foreheads
like STS. The left-hand bird in 1 is in primary moult (p9) making the wing look
more pointed than it should be. Both birds in 1 seem to have rather long foot
projection typical of STS. 2-7 show some hint of pale face or hood, indicative
of STS.
On balance, I don't reckon any of these of are Sooty Shearwater.
As an aside, I don't think that sending photos out to a forum is a good idea
ahead of a potential rarities committee case. The attention and care to detail
that is received in this way will vary between individuals but will often not
be of the standard that a rarities committee requires (my view included). There
will be opinions not backed by any analysis at all. Inevitably, a range of
opinions will be given, the committee ultimately will have to acknowledge
that, and the case will be unresolved.
I hope this helps, though I doubt that it does.
David James,
Sydney
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