|
Hi Birders,
Phil Hansbro commented that the 1983 record of up
to 75 Sooty Albatross reported off the Continental Shelf off Sydney must be an
error, especially as he, Phil Hansbro had never seen a Sooty Albatross at sea
off Wollongong, Sydney or Swansea! Neither have I!
So I consulted the 1983 NSW Bird Report and under
Sooty Albatross, the information was as stated. So I looked up the three NSWFOC
Newletters quoted as references for 1983 in the Report and found that Sooty
Terns were seen in small numbers off the Continental Shelf on two occasions, and
a record off 4 Sooty Shearwaters down Wollongong way was in the 3rd newsletter,
but there was no mention of a Sooty Alabtross in any of the 3 references quoted.
I suspect that the information originally provided was a summary of Sooty Tern
sightings off the Continental Shelf off Sydney but either a typo occurred in the
original submission by the observer Allan McBride, to the Editor of the Bird
Report (Terry Lindsey), or that the information was entered wrongly for Sooty
Albatross instead of for Sooty Tern.
Alan Morris
Records Officer NSWFOC
|
