Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

General birdwatching discussion, help with bird identification, and all other things relating to wild birds and birding in NZ that don't fit in one of the other forums.
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Threeps
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Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Threeps » Sat Feb 29, 2020 2:17 pm

Came across this beach wreck at Matarangi Beach, Coromandel on 16 Feb. I'm not familiar at all with petrels or similar and this looks to me like either a white faced storm petrel or a blue petrel. Am I correct or am I completely barking up the wrong tree? The blue legs suggest a blue petrel but the overall colour looks to be too dark to me.
IMG_7818-petrel-edit-1.jpg
Beach wreck detail
IMG_7818-petrel-edit-1.jpg (538.98 KiB) Viewed 2727 times
IMG_7821-petrel-edit-2.jpg
Beach wreck
IMG_7821-petrel-edit-2.jpg (626.46 KiB) Viewed 2727 times
Steve Purdon

No te whenua mo nga Kotimana ahau.
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Steve Wood
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Steve Wood » Sat Feb 29, 2020 5:33 pm

Hi, do you have any shots of the bell/ underside?
A Pterodroma - may be a Mottled or soft Plumaged Petrel would be my guess Plain grey tail would eliminate many.
Not a Blue petrel or White-faced Storm petrel.
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Threeps
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Threeps » Sat Feb 29, 2020 5:51 pm

Thanks, Steve. These were the only two views I took - only after the fact did I think to turn it over!
Steve Purdon

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lloydesler
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby lloydesler » Sat Feb 29, 2020 6:32 pm

I folks, on the subject of Beach wrecks, I'm putting together the 2019 beach patrol stuff. Any beach patrol records for 2019 and earlier send them in asap.
Lloyd Esler esler@southnet.co.nz
Clinton9
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Clinton9 » Sat Feb 29, 2020 8:57 pm

I think....Pycroft's petrel
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Oscar Thomas » Sat Feb 29, 2020 10:28 pm

I reckon Pycroft’s is a good bet as well.
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Threeps
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Threeps » Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:09 pm

Pycroft's Petrel! that looks like the best option to me. Thanks Clinton and Oscar.
Steve Purdon

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Steve Wood
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Steve Wood » Sun Mar 01, 2020 4:36 pm

So am I the only one who can see the tail is uniform grey? - it's not dark tipped,which would be consistant with Pyecrofts and some others Pterodromas species.
Check out Birds on line - pic by Graeme Taylor of Pycrofts entering burrow and clearly shows dark tip to tail.
Happy to be proven wrong.
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Weka1
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Weka1 » Sun Mar 01, 2020 6:50 pm

Could you outline the identifying features for Pycrofts?
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Beach Wreck ID assistance, please

Postby Oscar Thomas » Sun Mar 01, 2020 7:35 pm

Steve I would say the tail plumage is certainly influenced by light, and in this pic looks pretty close to Pycroft's. The overall structure inc. wing and tail length, plus bill size and colour, and the dark head/eye patch are all pointers towards Pycroft's as well in my view.
pycroftscom.jpg
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