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Chatham Island Albatross off Australia

To: Mike Carter <>
Subject: Chatham Island Albatross off Australia
From: Geoff Price <>
Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:28:05 +1000
I seem to recall it was approximately 11.17 am Mike. And it was 35 years ago tomorrow! It's still my favourite albatross, whatever it's taxonomic status :)

Geoff



On 6/09/2011 8:00 PM, Mike Carter wrote:
Hi David, actually I did say it was in the 1960/70s. Having been asked to be 
more specific by Rohan Clarke today I phoned Peter Lansley whom I knew had a 
good memory for dates and he responded instantly with the fact that we saw the 
bird off Cape Schanck on 8 August 1976! I suspect that he would have proffered 
the time if I'd asked!!! In research today I came up with following list of 
dates that I know for older records of Chatham Albatross in Australia.

08.08.1976 adult seen from shore close-in off Cape Schanck, Vic. by Mike
Carter, Peter Lansley&  Geoff Price.
28.08.1976 near adult off Eden, NSW, seen&  photographed by Mike Carter
published in Peter Harrison's (1985) Seabirds Photographic Book (p. 37). 
Caption therein says 'June' but that
is wrong.
For just 10 minutes on one day between 03&  13.01.1981, an adult was ashore on 
Albatross Is.,
Tas. Seen by David Nicholls who has a photo somewhere.
January 1983 an adult ashore on Albatross Is, Tas. by Nigel Brothers. Photo
p. 126 in Lindsey (1986), (Photo. Index Seabird book ). Although the caption is 
wrong in
stating that the bird is an immature the date could be right because I have
duplicates of  two other slides of that bird by Nigel Brothers dated 17 Jan.
1983.
27.07.1985 a puzzling bird we considered was a sub-adult Chatham's at sea
off Wollongong. I have three slides of this bird. This shows a broad dark
border to the outer edge of the underwing (beyond the carpal) a feature that
also shows in adults where it is much neater.
I'm pretty sure I have another later record but that will be hard to trace.
My record keeping and cataloguing fluctuated with paid work load in that period.

Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza  VIC 3930
Tel  (03) 9787 7136




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