>I would be very interested in how you identified Pycroft's Petrel and
>Wandering Tattler. The former are very difficult to identify except in the
>hand with much of the lierature being wrong and wandering tattlers are
>rare on the NZ mainland.Similarly as many of us on birding Aus have
>experienced Black and >westland Black are also difficult at sea even with
>experience.
>Cheers
>Phil Hansbro
Dear Phil,
Wandering tattler is not a difficult bird to identify, especially if you
got both species together. As you surely know, the calls are completely
different and the are also structural differences, like longer wings
(compared to tail tip) on the wandering tattler. Furthermore, the bird was
easy to pick out immediately, being darker, with a darker bill, although
proper identification called for closer scrutiny. We were lucky enough to
observe the bird(s) at a distance of 15m with spotting scopes, so we could
even se the longer nasal groove and the difference of the scales on the
tarsi. The fact that the wandering tattler was foraging on the rocks, while
the grey-tailed preferred the mud is of course not determining, but a good
indication. I'm well aware of the fact that wandering tattler is not often
recorded in N.Z., but I think it's annual (does anyone know the exact
figures?) and probably largely overlooked.
Talking about the seabirds though, I must admit my inexperience and lack of
knowledge. The Pycrofts petrels were identified on the grounds of darker
caps and especially the lack of white on the outer tail feathers. I'm aware
of the fact that Cook's petrels have less white in the tail than many field
guides denote (I even have a tail at home!), but after seeing 100+ of
Cook's fairly well, we thought that at least two birds looked definitely
different.
The Westland black petrels were essentially identified on the fact that it
was more likely to encounter Westland blacks this close to Punakaiki. The
Blacks should be on their breeding grounds in the Hauraki Gulf during this
time. (Terrible way of identifing birds, I know!) I must admit I can't be
sure of the id on this one.
Comments on the identification of these species pairs would be welcomed.
Regards
/Teet
Teet Sirotkin
Öfre Slottsgatan 19A
S-753 12 Uppsala
SWEDEN
018 - 12 15 42
0705 - 55 76 56
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