We have been debating exactly what this is.
We have been debating exactly what this is. Wedgetailed Shearwater? Hutton's Shearwater? A Booby? Gannet?? This was taken at City Beach in Perth, so the Booby option is rather out of range...
Behaviours included frequent plunging dives into the water on bent wings, followed by bobbing on the surface (apparently consuming prey there). At least two were sighted. They were fishing about 50m offshore, and sometimes closer, but never near the break-line.
Please share around - we're quite mystified.
A type of Tern?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Phalacrocorax-fuscescens maybe?
ReplyDeleteHmm, nope. It was one of our first thoughts, but also quickly discarded. Likewise, the tail is wrong for a tern.
ReplyDeleteSo not the Cormorant either? Link above?
ReplyDeleteNo, not a cormorant, either. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteIt is Black and White right? It looks B&W.
ReplyDeleteFound a site with a similar looking bird. Author claims it to be a Gannet, but I am having trouble finding a validating second opinion.
ReplyDeleteA Juvenile Northern Gannet maybe.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blogthebeach.com/2009/space-coast-birding-festival/birding-at-sea-pelagic-birding-aboard-the-pastime-princess
ReplyDeleteAnother http://exit63.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/yesterday-was-perfect-lets-do-it-again/
ReplyDeleteThat would be seriously out-of-range! They're North Atlantic!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. That thought had also crossed my mind, but there are distinct similarities.
ReplyDeleteThen it might just be the Australian Gannet... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australasian_Gannet
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the birds on our short-list!
ReplyDeleteWhat is your short list?
ReplyDeleteIn the original post, really. A young Australasian Gannet perhaps.
ReplyDelete