Hi Kevin
These seemed a lot smaller, or at least chunkier (shorter-winged and stout
body) than shearwaters. I tried to look for the M marking to make them some
sort of Prion but I just couldn't see enough detail.
I wondered about CDP but as I've never seen one I wouldn't stick my neck
out and try to identify anything as a diving-petrel. And storm-petrel don't
hang around in flocks, do they?
I think the closest I can get is "dumpy seabirds a long way away." I think
I need to go on another pelagic!
Cheers
Russell
On 1 June 2014 22:48, Kev Lobotomi <> wrote:
> Hi Russell
> What you describe reminds me more of Fluttering Shearwaters. They tend to
> flap a lot & then glide. Fluttering are blackish above white below, prions
> are blue-grey above with a distinct M marking across the upperparts & white
> below. Prions have a more buoyant flight with lots of gliding and pattering
> on the surface. I suppose the other possibility is Diving Petrels, but they
> are rarely seen from shore. They are tiny compared to the other two & their
> flight is not dissimilar to a quail with a whirr of wings, although they do
> glide a little as well in a strong breeze.-Kevin Bartram
>
> > Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2014 22:34:09 +1000
> > From:
> > To:
> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Small seabirds of Blue Rocks
>
> >
> > Also late this afternoon, close to sunset, very hazy ...
> >
> > There was a group of 45-50 smallish dumpy seabirds about a kilometer off
> > the beach. They would head in one direction, then wheel around and head
> in
> > the other. They did this for a few turns then headed westwards. Flight
> > usually began with fast wingbeats followed by short glides very low over
> > water. Some birds landed briefly. White contrasting with darker grey,
> but I
> > couldn't pick up any clearer markings. Fairy Prion? Or too hard to call?
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