Dear David, most of us are stumped by seabirds. The only way through the
problem is to go on pelagic trips, get sick, then listen to what other
people, who allege to know what they are talking about, identify the
passing birds as . You then go home with a list of sightings which you
hope have some credibility. But you won't be much the wiser, especially
on some of the more difficult species.
Tough ain't it. Tony.
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of David Adams
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 5:29 PM
To: Birding-Aus
Subject: Advice on identifying Albatrosses from shore
I'm writing in to ask for some advice on learning more about identifying
Albatross from shore. I really never go on pelagics (too
disorganized) so I haven't made a lot of progress. For years I've been
staring off of headlands at large seabirds with binoculars wondering
"are those Albatross or are they immature Gannets?" I bought a scope
last year with a 20-60x zoom and have it mounted on a swivel head so
that I can track birds in flight. I went out to Blue Point (Bermagui,
Far South Coast NSW) this morning and end up staring at distant birds
wondering "are those Albatross or are they immature Gannets?" ;-)
Actually, with the scope I can tell that some of them aren't
Gannets...but I have little idea how to go about sorting out which
species they may be.
I've had a look at the SOSSA (Southern Ocean Seabird Study
Association) site which is a good start but am looking for more advice
or references. (The month-by-month guide at SOSSA is very helpful, by
the way.) I have lots of bird field guides but none devoted specifically
to seabirds. Is there something I should be getting? Andrew Isles sent
along a note just today that there's a new book out on the subject of
albatrosses but it doesn't sound like a field guide.
I regularly see reports on this list from people confidently identifying
various sorts of Albatross they've spotted from shore so there must be a
way to do it. Are there headlands where the birds come in close enough
for clear identification or are there a series of distinguishing marks
that let you sort out the species by process of elimination or some
other means? Size is basically useless as a field characteristic for
distant birds over water and some of the other field marks would require
a close view (color of the bill, color of the tip of the bill, color
behind the eye, etc.) so I'm a bit stumped.
Suggestions much appreciated! I suspect others may have the same
question I do so please post back answers to the list, if possible.
---------------------------------------------
David Adams
Wallaga Lake 2546 NSW
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