In the previous Blog Post, I focused on a pod of four gorgeous Hourglass Dolphins that appeared for only three minutes on our first full day at sea between the Falklands and South Georgia. This Blog Post will focus on the Seabirds on this first day. It was typically choppy seas throughout the day, but that didn't worry the Seabirds. With the exception of the Brown Skua, the taxonomic order is also the same as the ordering in Seabird size from largest to smallest.
The seas were fairly lively
Wandering Albatross: Adult Female. The black tail band, the lack of white on the leading edge on the inner wing and the lack of a dark line along the cutting edge of the upper mandible confirms the identification as a Wandering Albatross. The black continuing all the way to the scapulars and the lack of obvious white in the wing indicates it's an Adult Female. Perhaps the slight barring on the mantle and rump indicates it's a younger Adult
Wandering Albatross: Adult Female. The likely subspecies is exulans or Snowy Albatross, which is the breeding subspecies on South Georgia. However, separating the subspecies is often based upon range. Looking at my photographs this individual was around the ship for several hours. Situations like this, makes it difficult to count Seabirds, as they sometimes appear to go before returning thirty minutes later. It is only when photos are compared from different times of the day, that it is possible to confirm that it was the same individual that kept reappearing
Northern Giant Petrel: This monotypic species breeds on the Islands North of the Antarctic Convergence from South Georgia to Macquarie & the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands
Northern Giant Petrel: Northern Giant Petrel have a pastel red tip to their bill, whereas Southern Giant Petrels have a dark pastel green tip
Northern Giant Petrel: A close look at the bill is always needed as their range at sea overlaps significantly with Southern Giant Petrels
White-chinned Petrel: Typically, it's not possible to see the white chin
White-chinned Petrel: This monotypic species occurs in circumpolar Subantarctic waters
Grey Petrel: I saw a dozen of this nice-looking Petrel during the day
Grey Petrel: They breed in & range across the circumpolar Subantarctic seas
Soft-plumaged Petrel: With a posture like this is must be a Pterodroma Petrel. It was the commonest species seen during the day with over eighty individuals, with Great Shearwater being the second commonest species with about fifty seen
Soft-plumaged Petrel: This is presumed to be the nominate mollis subspecies which breeds on Gough, Tristan da Cunha & the Antipodes islands. The dubia subspecies breeds on Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen & Amsterdam islands and it is a bit darker with a heavier breast band
Soft-plumaged Petrel: This is one of my favourite Pterodroma Petrels
Black-bellied Storm-petrel: The dark wings and paler coverts in this photo aren't giving too many clues of which species of Storm-petrel it is
Black-bellied Storm-petrel: But when it turned, the white belly with the black central stripe immediately identifies this as a Black-bellied Storm-petrel
Black-bellied Storm-petrel: A later individual. This is the nominate tropica subspecies which breeds on circumpolar Subantarctic islands & ranges North to the tropics
Grey-backed Storm-petrel: On this view, this Storm-petrel could be one of several species: White-bellied Storm-petrel, Black-bellied Storm-petrel or Grey-backed Storm-petrel. Black-bellied Storm-petrels this far South have a black stripe down the centre. But some populations of Black-bellied Storm-petrel that breed on Gough Island & the Tristan da Cunha Islands have white-bellies and could Winter this far South. Better views are needed of this individual
Grey-backed Storm-petrel: There is grey and some mottling in the wings which rules out White-bellied Storm-petrel and Black-bellied Storm-petrel as both have black wings with paler coverts
Grey-backed Storm-petrel: As it turns, it's possible to see the medium grey wings and paler grey rump. Confirmation that this is a Grey-backed Storm-petrel in heavy wing moult
Grey-backed Storm-petrel: This monotypic species occurs in circumpolar Subantarctic waters, as far North as 35 degrees South
Brown Skua: This is the nominate antarcticus subspecies, AKA Falkland Brown Skua. They breed on the Falklands & South East Argentina. They Winter off South East South America
I will cover our second full day at sea, before we reached South Georgia, in the next Blog Post.
