Shy (White-capped) Albatross found in Perth

[Frank O'Connor <>]

John Darnell from the WA Museum has just reported that they have been
given a specimen of an adult Shy Albatross found on City Beach in Perth
on Thursday 31st July.  The bird was banded and fitted with a
geolocator from New Zealand.  John contacted the people in NZ, and
the bird was banded as a breeding adult at South West Cape on Auckland
Island in November 2007.

This is the first record of White-capped (steadi) Albatross found
in WA, although of course the ID is hard to distinguish from the nominate
Shy Albatross cauta.

This is of more interest considering the birds seen on the recent
Albany pelagic on Sunday 20th July.  We saw several Campbell's
(Black-browed) Albatross, several Gibson's (Wandering) Albatross, two
Grey-faced (Great-winged) Petrels and a "Wandering" Albatross
with a thin dark cutting edge on the upper mandible which we are leaning
towards IDing as an Antipodean.  Seems like a lot of NZ birds have
come this way this winter.  This is along with the Fiordland
Penguins that have also been found.  We also saw a juvenile
Grey-headed Albatross at Albany, and a 3rd year bird was found at Burns
Beach (a northern Perth suburb) in early July and later died in care and
has been taken to the museum.  I don't know if these would be NZ (or
Macquarie) birds, or from the Indian Ocean.

_________________________________________________________________
Frank O'Connor           Birding WA http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au
Phone : (08) 9386 5694              Email :

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