Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Brown Booby followup (observations and questions)

From:

Fred Shaffer

Reply-To:

Fred Shaffer

Date:

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:21:33 -0400

Bill Hubick and others have made some great points and observations.  I am still in the "looking at photos on the internet and reading everything I can" phase and hoping to see more of George's shots of the underwing coverts and belly for the Saturday bird.  So, I guess I am still on the fence on this one.  The bird looked SO good in the field on Saturday and very dark, above and below.  We saw no white above during 10 minutes of observing.  And, although the photos were blurry, I felt as if I got identifiable views in the scope that were distant, but clear.  We saw no white on the uppertail coverts and one or two of the photos seem to support this.  I just find it hard to believe that we could look at the bird so long without seeing any white on the upperparts (including the uppertail coverts) if it was actually present.  But the photos do appear to raise questions........      
 
     In the field, the bird looked dark beneath and appeared to have the delineation between the dark throat and slightly paler (but still dark) breast and belly.  The belly never looked bright white like the photo of Bill’s 2nd year NOGA.   But, like Bill stated, the border was above the front of the wing (not far enough down the breast), at least in the photo.  This raises questions, but I’d like to see this mark from a different angle.  The belly looked a shade lighter than the throat, but still dark.  I did not see the flash of a white belly when the bird banked, which I assumed would be obvious on a 2nd year NOGA, particularly when the bird was at its closest.  Although the sun was bright and harsh, by 11 AM  it was fairly high in the sky relative to the bird.

      The white that shows up in the back and wings in George’s photos I think is an artifact of the harsh light.  However, the questions that remain for me are:

•	Is the border between the throat and the breast too far up on the bird?  The photos appear to indicate that it is.   It   appeared right in the field, but I’d like to see what other photos show.
•	Is the bird too heavy (big bodied and pot-bellied) for a Booby?  The Saturday bird does appear fairly large and bulky in the photos, but this can be tough to judge on lone birds.  I’ve found a few photos of BRBO approaching this gizz, but most appeared more streamlined.
•	Was the bird’s belly really dark gray/brown or was it white and just looked dark due to the sun?  In the field, I would say that the bird’s belly definitely was dark, but could the light have made it appear that way?  The photos appear to indicate a lighter belly than we observed in the field.  But still, I find it incredible to impossible that several observers would not pick out the white belly of a 2nd year NOGA, particularly as close as the Saturday bird got.   I think that at some point the white belly of a 2nd year NOGA would have been obvious, but it never was, regardless of the angle, distance, or movement of the bird.  
•	What were the colors of the axillaries and underwing coverts on the Saturday bird?  As I posted, I thought that these areas were lighter than the rest of the bird, but I’d love to see if any photos support this.  

    Again, I just say all this to summarize my thoughts and questions on the Saturday bird, and to thank everyone who has provided input, opinions, and information, both on- and off-line.  This has been a great learning process and I’ve picked up some excellent tips for the next time a BRBO turns up.  But, it sure is more fun when the bird is identified outright and there are no lingering questions.  I would like to see a few more photos of the Saturday bird, if available, before coming to a decision (BRBO, NOGA, or let it go), at least for myself.   I can only imagine how tough it is to get photos under those conditions, and George did a great job documenting what he did.  I can only hope that a few of the other photos taken document some of the other field marks that we noted in the field and thought were so diagnostic at the time.  Thanks again,

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS