Hi Tom,
No worries...but I'm certain it is a White-headed Petrel for the reasons I
gave and for the reasons Jeff subsequently gave : )
On a CSIRO voyage from Portland across the Bight to about level with Albany
and then back across the Bight and down to Hobart (about 10-15 years ago) I
saw several birds very like the pic you found on the web. They were quite
some distance from the ship but clearly showed pale grey collars. At the
time I had no field experience with Soft-plumaged Petrel but confidently
concluded that's what they were...the very next day I had a 'real'
Soft-plumaged Petrel flying around the ship and immediately recognised my
error. The earlier birds were of course White-headed Petrels with pale grey
crowns and collars! So yes they do seem similar but once you get your eye in
these two species...especially in the flesh....are quite different. Here's a
good comparative pic with both species flying side by side.
http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/image/108301690
And here's the links to my images of both species
http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/white_headed_petrel
http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/soft_plumaged_petrel
Cheers,
Rohan
Rohan Clarke
www.wildlifeimages.com.au
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