Albatross identification

[Wynston Cooper]

While I certainly go the young/immature Buller's way, can you be more specific as to the month Craig? In my 33+ years in Invercargill I have never seen a young/immature Buller's turn up on the mainland (South Island)before August.

Wynston Cooper

[Craig McKenzie]

Hi Wynston

It was the 26th August.

Regards

[Wynston Cooper]

Many thanks Craig. I'm even more convinced then that its an immature Buller's. If I could find my way around the system I could post a photo of one taken on Little Solander in July 1985 that I believe would pretty much confirm things.
Cheers
Wynston

[Wynston Cooper]

Have managed to find my way through the system and (hopefully) managed to post the photo I wanted. Its a csan from a slide taken on Little Solander Is in July 1985.
In Southland we regularly get young Buller's of the year turning up on the mainland during August, most notably after a good southwesterly blow.

Southern Buller's mollymawk chick.jpg (47.5 KiB) Viewed 5720 times

Cheers
Wynston

[AlexThompson]

Hi Wynston

If you look at the profile of the heads of the Bullers and shy albatross in Heather and Robertson (p.25 & 27) it looks like the profile of the bill is way too thick to be a Bullers? and the head is much lighter than you would expect in a Bullers.

Is there any possibility the chick photographed is a juv white capped?

Cheers

Gary & Alex

[Wynston Cooper]

Hi Gary and Alex
If it was a White-capped chick it would be the one and only ever found on the Solanders and the islands have been visited quite regularly over the last couple of decades. All the birds that Colin Miskelly and I recorded there in 1985 were definitely Buller's. As to the bill shape and colour, it compares well with that shown in plate 9 in Onley and Schofield. For shape also compare it with that of the adult shown below that I photographed on the main Solander Island.

Cheers
Wynston

Southern Buller's mollymawk #2.jpg (38.5 KiB) Viewed 5719 times

[Richard Schofield]

I think part of the problem with this bird, with regard to the bill size, is that the yellow on the bill of adult Buller's makes the bill look slimmer. If we remove the colour, as in this superimposition of Brent's photos, the bills of the two species are fairly similar, even allowing for slightly different angles of viewing. When seen like this the bill on Craig's bird seems plenty slim enough for Buller's. Other factors in favour of Buller's are the relative size of the eye - obviously larger on Buller's - and what I consider to be a more obvious white crescent.

026861_070129 copy.jpg (36.78 KiB) Viewed 5713 times

Richard

[AlexThompson]

I have put together an image of Buller's and Salvin's juvenilles along with Craig's bird and I will have to eat humble pie and agree with the overwhelming consensus that it does indeed appear to be a juvenile Buller's

I am not sure Gary agrees though?!

bullers comparisons.jpg (171.74 KiB) Viewed 5704 times

[Jan]

Hello All,

Yes, I think I'm giving in too, sorry Gary.
Never having seen that many juv Bullers, I admit it has too wide a black under-wing
leading edge and it IS on the mud at Awarua, near the breeding grounds.
Could people please locate their sites, like Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury for instance?
There are other Awaruas around the place.

This has been a really useful topic for the forum and I'm pleased I have persisted
with it, even though I only have dial-up.

Happy Birding,
Jan

[Gazza]

Hello all,
Well done to Wynston and team for a well put together argument.

The good thing about the birding world is there is a bird metaphor for every occasion so I shall eat crow

and the good thing about a diet of crow is that it helps to keep ones feet firmly on the ground.

Well done and thanks to all. Gazza.............