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View Full Version : Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Shearwaters in Harbor?

DutchHerp
August 1st, 2009, 05:36 AM
Hi,

We spotted these two birds in a flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes nearly a kilometer away from the harbor in Seward, which is in the protected Resurrection Bay - quite an unusual place to find shearwaters.

There was a front that came through last night, which might explain their presence.

I want to confirm our ID, and get some feedback. The kittiwakes have a length of about 17", the same as Sooty Shearwaters according to Sibley.

My apologies for the blurry pictures... they were taken with a 400mm lense but the birds were very far away.

Comparison with kittiwakes:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8058.jpg

From behind:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8061jpg_1.jpg

From the front:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8061jpg_2.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8065.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8074.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l231/matthijs_94/DSC_8075.jpg

Later, Matt
AndyB
August 1st, 2009, 06:23 AM
Hi Matt, I'm afraid these aren't shearwaters but are juvenile Gulls. They look like they could be Thayer's Gulls. I think your top photo is the most revealing. Note how heavy-billed your birds are compared to a Sooty here (http://www.rosssea.info/pix/big/Sooty_Shearwater.jpg) and the more compact appearance of the shearwater. Best, Andy
DutchHerp
August 1st, 2009, 07:33 AM
Hi Matt, I'm afraid these aren't shearwaters but are juvenile Gulls. They look like they could be Thayer's Gulls. I think your top photo is the most revealing. Note how heavy-billed your birds are compared to a Sooty here (http://www.rosssea.info/pix/big/Sooty_Shearwater.jpg) and the more compact appearance of the shearwater. Best, Andy

Andy,

Aren't they a little bit too small to be Thayer's Gull? Look at them compared to the kittiwakes: identical in size.

I see your heavy-billed point, as well. I beleive the short-tailed shearwaters have a smaller bill? The blurry image might make the bill a little hard to analyze, but size reference shouldn't be affected by it.

Later, Matt
MichaelF
August 1st, 2009, 11:45 AM
Young Mew Gulls?
Derek Moore
August 1st, 2009, 08:02 PM
These are definitely gulls and not Common (Mew) gulls. I reckon they might be Thayer's Gulls. The birds look slightly forward in the water to the Kittiwakes which could impair a view of size. Juvenile Slaty-backed Gull are similar in plumage but a bit bigger than Thayers. They occur in Alalska but more rarely.

Derek
AaronL
August 1st, 2009, 09:38 PM
Hi Matt,

These are young Mew Gulls.

Cheers,
Aaron
DutchHerp
August 2nd, 2009, 07:49 PM
Thanks guys, I must've looked over that one!

Later, Matt