Pelagic Birds in the Gulf of Maine

Davis W. Finch, William C. Russelland EdwardV. Thompson

In view of the recent increase of interest in with CN Marine (Bar Harbor, Me. 04609) seab•rds,clearly indicatedby the numberof Toll-free numbers are 800 432 - 7344 (Maine) b•rd•ngtrips now beingconducted to offshore and 800 341 -7981 (northeastern U.S.). Reser- waters in the Northeast and elsewhere, it vations are importantduring the summer•f seems an appropriate time to review the automobilesare to be transported.The adult occurrenceand abundanceof pelagicspecies one-way fare in effectduring 1977 was $15, along what to date hasbeen ornithologically $9 off-season. the most studied oceanic route in the East. This During normal summer operation, the •s,of course,the "Bluenose"ferry transit in the "Bluenose" leaves Bar Harbor at 8 a.m. EDT Gulf of Maine between Bar Harbor, Maine and and steamsdown FrenchmanBay to EggRock Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.Since 1965 the authors bell buoy. At this point, she turns to course have made over 80 crossingson the "Blue- 115 ø which is maintained for about 77.5 nauti- nose". Although more than 75% of these cal miles. About five nautical miles SSEof the occurredduring the monthsfrom May through LurcherShoal buoy, the "Bluenose"turns to September,no seasonhas been neglected. course 095 ø for about 11 nautical miles at Th•s paper summarizesour data from these which point a slight adjustmentis made to transits and our notes on the field identification 088 ø. This course is maintained for about five of some23 speciesof pelagicbirds encountered. nautical miles when she rounds the Cape The "Bluenose",owned and operatedby Forchu bell and heads into Yarmouth Harbor Canadian National, has an overall lengthof arrivingat the dock at approximately2 p.m 346 feet and a grossweight of 6419 tons.Her EDT. After a layoverof 1¾2hours she leaves speedaverages 18.5 to 19 knotsin summer Yarmouth at 3:30 p.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. ADT) and 16.5 to 17 knots in winter. An observer and retracesher route, reachingBar Harborat positionedat the bow is approximately30 feet approximately9:30 p.m. ETD. Thusfor a brief above the sea surface and can survey a period around midsummer, the pelagic horizon of about 300 ø. The elevation extends portionsof the entire round trip are traversed ws•bilityto somedistance while often prevent- in daylight. •ng ventral views of nearby birdsflying low Infrequently,heavy seas require a course over the water. change.This normally takes the form of a more Accordingto the most recently adopted northerlycourse to a point just southof Murr schedulethe ferry makesthe 200-mile round Ledgesbelow Grand Manan then south to trip dailyfrom early June to theend of Septem- Cape Forchubell. The exactcourse varies w•th ber Thrice-weekly service is maintained the severity of the weather. On a very few throughoutOctober and Novemberand from occasions,weather has caused cancellation of lateApril through May, and during these periods the day's crossing. the terry leaves Bar Harbor at 8 a.m. ESI or The Gulf of Maine is a relatively closed EDT on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays body of water blocked at the mouth by and leaves Yarmouth at 9 a.m. AST or ADT on Georges and Browns Banks. Two narrow Mondays, Wednesdaysand Fridays.Winter channels provide the only accessfor deep serwcehas recentlybeen suspended.Since all water and as a consequencethe Gulf •s the ferry servicesin the Gulf of Maine are shielded both from the cold waters of the being reevaluated, persons planning the Labrador Current and the warm waters of the trip should verify the schedulebeforehand Gulf Stream.Heating and coolingare thusthe

140 American B•rds, March 1978 SRD

NortheasternNorth America,showing "Bluenose" Ferry route. Map/S.R. Drennan. resultof local proces•s. Duringthe summera tember,this paper draws almost exclusively on rathersharp thermocline develops and surface our own records.Although we were, of course, waters warm to a maximum of 13 ø to 16øC. aware of manycrossings made by others,we During the warmestyears, numerouswarm- have not used these data as we feel our own water fish and invertebrates are found in the sufficeto givea clearpicture of relativeabund- Gulf and certainbirds, including perhaps the ance duringthe summerperiod. Further, it is very infrequent Cory's Shearwater,may be practically impossiblefor us to assessthe presentonly under these conditions.During records of others and to ascertain whether the fall, the thermocline is considerably specieswere identifiedcorrectly, a problem reduced owing to decreasedsurface warming especiallyacute with the large shearwaters, and, especially,the wind-inducedmixing of storm-petrels,phalaropes and jaegers, and it is the surface and colder water below. The rate at equally difficultto judge the care with which which this coolingtakes place may determine counts were taken. Nonetheless in a few cases the length of time certain pelagic species,for whereunquestionable records by othersadded example Greater Shearwater,Leach's Storm- significantlyto our understandingwe have Petreland RedPhalarope, remain in the Gulf. includedthem, citing observersby initials Current flow in the Gulf of Maine is gener- resolved at the end of the text. Status accounts ally counterclockwise.On the Nova Scotia for thisperiod are primarilya summaryof our side the collision of this current with the sub- data givingfrequency, maximum counts and marineextensions of DigbyNeck and adjacent average ones. underwater ridges produces pronounced Having taken many fewer trips duringthe upwelling which makesthis the richestarea periodOctober through May, we haveused all ornithologically in the Gulf of Maine. The information available for these months, course of the "Bluenose" takes her just south attemptingto verify identificationsand counts of the southernmost underwater ledge, and again citing observersfor recordsother Lurcher Shoal, about 11/2hours out of Yar- than our own. We have less confidence in our mouth, and large numbers of birds are status delineations for these months and have frequently found there. The other concentra- made extensive use of such relative terms as tion area, alsothe resultof upwelling,is the "common" and "rare", and noted maximum southwesternedge of Grand Manan Bank, counts. encountered about two hours out of Bar Our data are derived from 88 round trips Harbor. Seabirds tend to be less abundant over taken from 1965 through1977, their monthly the remainderof the crossing,their distribution distributionas follows:Jan. (4), Feb. (2), Mar dependenton the apparentlyunpredictable (3), Apr. (0), May (4), June(16), July(10), Aug presenceof planktonand fish. (26), Sept. (10), Oct. (2), Nov. (6), Dec. (5) Forthe four-monthperiod June through Sep- Sevenof the winter tripswere by others.Our

Volume 32, Number 2 141 The "Bluenose"Ferry. Photo courtesy of CanadianNational; copyright reserved; made in Canada. counting technique was simple: standingin or when birds followed or paralleledthe ship the bow for essentiallythe entire crossing,we Jor long periods. We reel that the numeri- attempted to count every individual encoun- cal data are accurate to +10% for counts tered. In earlier yearsrunning totals were kept between 10 and 50, and to +30% for counts but since 1975 observations have been involvinghigher numbers of individuals.The recorded for each 30-minute period. The statusdata do, however,accurately reflect the status accounts which follow should not be relative abundanceof the pelagicspecies that construedas havinga specificscientific basis. occur in the Gulf of Maine as seen from the Althoughwe countedindividual birds as care- "Bluenose",and shouldgive the readera clear fully as possible,obvious problems neverthe- idea of what to expect, or not to expect, at a lessarose when largeflocks were encountered given time of year.

ALBATROSSES: Diomedeidae

Albatrossesare hugeseabirds with long,slender wings and largehooked bills. The two speciesrecorded in the westernNorth Atlantic are largelydark on the upperwing and tail and white elsewhere.In the unlikelyevent that an albatrossshould be seen,the observershould note the underwingpattern (extent and width of black border),bill color (black,yellow or other,and colorationof the dorsalridge if different),and head color (white or gray, and markings,if any, above and behindthe eye).

Yellow-nosedAlbatross (Diomedea chlororhynchos)

Status:Two recordsof singlebirds, July 12, 1968 (EVT)and Aug. 20, 1976 (DS).

Field Identification:The identificationof a bird asan albatrosswould seemto be easybut a number of albatrossesreported from the "Bluenose"were almostcertainly Gannets (for a discussionof this problem,see that species)and we haveseen distant adult Great Black- backed Gulls misidentifiedas albatrosses.Even at a distance,albatrosses have brownishtones in the dark back, have longer,stouter bills, largelydark in youngBlack-broweds and in Yellow-nosedAlbatrosses of all ages,and appearvery high-sternedwhen afloat. We are, however,rather unfamiliar with albatrossidentification and referinterested readers to other sources(see for example,Warham, Bourneand Elliott).Regarding albatross distribution, it is indeedcurious that for yearsYellow-nosed has been the albatross of the westernNorth Atlan-

142 American Birds, March 1978 Yellow-nosedAlbatross (adult) 60 mileseast of OceanCity, Md., Feb. 1, 1975.Note black bill andnarrowness of dark bordersof underwing,particularly on the trailingedge. Photo/Richard A. Rowlett.

Black-browedAlbatross (adult) in Antarcticwaters south of New Zealand,Dec., 1961. Note pale bill and broadnessof dark bordersof underwing.Photo/Russ Kinne, from PhotoResearchers.

Volume 32, Number 2 143 Yellow-nosed Albatross (same individual). Dorsal view Yellow-nosed Albatross(same individual) Note massive of a typicalalbatross of the two speciesconsidered here, bill, its hooked tip lowered toward the water. Photo/ thoughthis photo may not permit identification.Note Richard A. Rowlett. white head and rump, long dark wingsand dark tail. Photo/Richard A. Rowlett.

L Northern Fulmar(light phase).Note thick, stubbybill Northern Fulmar (light phase)off Bylot Island,NWT. and bulgingforehead. Photo/Iohn Marchington,from Notepale flash in primarybases. Photo/Davis W. Finch. ArdeaPhotographics.

144 American Birds, March 1978 Cory'sShearwater on SableIsland Bank, N.S. Note pale bill, whitebelly, and absence of sharpcontrasts in head and neck. Photo/PaulGetmain, from Ardea Photographics.

GreaterShearwater off BrierIsland, N.S., Sept.4, 197I. Note toneof cap,and whiteof neckalmost forming a collar. Photo/Davis W. Finch.

Volume 32, Number 2 145 GreaterShearwater off Brier Island,N.S., Sept.4, 1971. Note contrastof dark cap and white neck. Photo/ Davis W. Finch.

GreaterShearwater. This remarkable angle shows the darksmudge on the bell),.Photol Bill Wilson,from Photo Researchers.

146 American Birds March 1978 Soo•/ Shearwateroff Brier Island, N.S., Sept. 4, 1971. Note near-uniformdarkness. Photol Davis W. Finch.

Soo•/ Shearwaterwith GreaterShearwaters. Note darkness, narrowness of wingtips,and silvery tone of lhewing linings.Photo/Paul Germain, from Ardea Photographics.

Volume 32, Number 2 147 ManxShearwater on Cox'sLedge, R.I., Sept. 23, 1972.Note whiteness of underpartsand sharp contrast with dark upperparts.Photo/Peter Alden.

Leach'sStorm-Petrel. This close-upof a hand-heldb•rd showsthe tubularnostrils typical of birdsof thisgroup Photo/Richard A. Rowlett.

148 AmericanBirds, March 1978 Wilson'sStorm-Petrel. Note absence ofa pronouncedangle in theleading edge of the wing Photo/Richard A. Rowlett.

BritishStorm-Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) at Skokholm,Wales. Note whtte area formed by covertsot underwing. Photo/Walter I.C. Murray, from BruceColeman.

Volume 32, Number 2 149 Gannet (adult) over BonaventureIsland, P.Q. Note black-and-whitecontrasts, narrow-pointed wings. Photo/ Alvin œ.Staffan, from National AudubonSocietylPhoto Researchers.

Gannet (iuvenal)at BaltimoreCanyon, Md., Dec. 4, 1976. Note long, straightbill and the bird'spointed appearance.Photo/Richard A. Rowlett.

150 AmericanBirds, March 1978 t•c and Black-browedthe albatrossof the easternNorth Atlantic. Until recently,there had been no record of Black-browedAlbatross in the A.O.U. area apart from the Greenland specimenof 1935 cited in the A.O.U. Check-list,and even now thereare no specimensor photographsto supportthe few recentreports (see DuMont; Finch; McDaniel). Although the Yellow-nosedhas a more northerlybreeding range than Black-browed,there is nothingin their distributionin the SouthAtlantic to explainthis apparently differential distribution in the North Atlantic.

SH EARWATERS,FULMARS: Procellariidae

Five specieshave been recordedwith certaintyfrom the "Bluenose",four as summervisitors from the southernor easternAtlantic, one of thesebeing conceivably a local breeder,and one as a wintervisitor from a broadarctic and subarcticbreeding range. All are medium-sizedbirds with long, narrow wings which are alternately flapped and held stifflyoutstretched with a downwardcurve at the tip. Flap speed varies from a near blur in Manx Shearwaterto an almost langorousarticulated flap in Cory's.The tubularnostrils are hardto seeexcept at closerange.

Northern Fulmar (Fulmarusglacialis)

Status:June - Sept.:Unrecorded from the "Bluenose"prior to 1970. Sincethen, seen on about 80% of the trips in Juneand early July with mostof the recordscoming from the summersof 1972, 1975 and 1976, following winter influxes.Maximum countsare five on June28, 1975and the same number on July 10, 1976,and the latestrecord is of twobirds on Aug. 11, 1976 (PDV).Oct. - May:Except in influxyears, fulmars are uncommon during this period.The earliestrecord is Sept.16 andthe maximumcount 116 on Nov. 7, 1971. Six-to-10 birds is an averagecount for late fall and winter crossings.Numbers appear to declinein late winter.

Field Identification:On the wateror in laboredflight, light-phase Northern Fulmars might be passedby as adult HerringGulls but the bluntforehead and thick neck are distinctive. Dark-phasebirds are smokygray, quite unlike the darkgrayish brown of SootyShearwater, and occur in the approximateratio of 1:8-12 lightbirds. Light-phase birds have flashingly white heads,an excellent mark in winter when HerringGulls have dark-streakedheads. The pale flashin the primarybases, stressed by somefield guides,is a variablecharacter, decidedlymuted in someindividuals and as a ruleless striking in darkbirds than in lightones. In molting birds, however,the sheddingof primariesexposes the pale basesof the next forward unshedones, the resultbeing an unusuallybright flash in the outer wing, visible aboveand below.When not in molt,fulmar wingtips appear rather rounded, but in birdswith manyshed primaries the wingtipslook narrowly pointed, and though the wingsnormally lack a pronouncedangle on the leadingedge, they are routinely raked in highwinds. In all phases, the upper parts are darkeston the border of the outer wing. In light-phasebirds, the underwingis white borderedwith black,this beingheaviest along the leadingedge, where there is a pronouncedsmudge at the carpaljoint. In dark-phasebirds, the wing lining is similarlypatterned, the lightarea a uniformgray of variableintensity. Flying fulmars carry the bill pointeddownward at abouta 45ø angle.The foreheadappears steep, even bulging,and the large, dark eye, forwardof which there is a small blacksemi-circle, contrasts with the I.ghtertone of the face, particularlyin light-phasebirds. The shorttail oftenappears to havea gently roundedpoint when the birdsare seen flying away, and the feet are frequently concealed in the feathers of the crissum. In a remarkablecase of southwardrange extension, six pairsof NorthernFulmars nested in Witless Bay, Nfld., in the summerof 1973. AlthoughNewfoundland breeders have not

Volume 32, Number 2 151 dramaticallyincreased or spreadsince then the speciesseems likely to becomecommoner in the Gulf of Maine.

Cory'sShearwater (Puffinus diomedea)

Status:One record,a bird seenon August28, 1976.

Field Identification: Most Cory's Shearwatersreported from the "Bluenose"were almost certainlymisidentified Greater Shearwaters. A few reportsmay have been correct, but at best Cory's Shearwateris a very rare bird in the Gulf of Maine despitethe fact that it occurs commonly within 250 milesto the southand in watersseaward of Nova Scotia.From the limiteddata available,the speciesseems most likely in yearsof unusuallywarm water such as 1976. Somefield guidesdescribe Cory's Shearwater as havinga toweringor soaringflight We have never seen this behavior in the western North Atlantic and have seen Greater Shearwaters,soaring dynamically on windy days, called Cory's becauseof the height achieved.The Cory's-Greaterdistinction is furtherdiscussed below.

Greater Shearwater(Puffinus gravis)

Status:June - Sept.:Seen on 100% of the crossingsafter June 12 with maximumcounts of 2000 on July4, 1974 and 1677 on June19, 1972, the latteran unusuallyhigh count for such an earlydate. A moretypical count is 400 but numbersfluctuate widely with fewer than 100 birdsbeing seen on about20% of the crossings.Oct. - May: Commonwell intoOctober with stragglersbeing seen regularly into the lastweek of November.The latestrecord is of oneon Dec. 18, 1971. The earliestarrival date is June4 but the speciesprobably occurs earlier There is one record in the lower Gulf of Maine for 30 birds on Mar. 30, 1973 (PRH, RRH)

FieldIdentification:Greater Shearwater is the "Bluenose" shearwater, being outnumbered by SootyShearwater only in earlyJune. While identificationis normallystraightforward, the followingpoints should be keptin mind:(1) The capsof GreaterShearwaters are notblack, but rathera grayishbrown. This fact has led to considerableconfusion with Cory'sShear- water. (2) The white uppertail covertsof Greatercan in someindividuals be lessdistinct than thoseof Cory's.(3) A goodfield markat anydistance is the whiteneck behind the browncap, sometimesforming an uninterruptedband of white acrossthe nape. In the other Atlantic shearwaters,the blackor grayof the capcontinues straight back along the sideof the neck.(4) Many of the summerbirds in the Gull of Maineare in molt.In somecases wing coverts are not sufficientlygrown to cover the white shaftsand featherbases of the primariesand secondaries,producing birds with bold white wing stripes and white patches at the base of the primaries.(5) The flap of Greateris quicker,stiffer and lessarticulated than Cory's and the upperwing surfaceis two-tonedbrown and blackishrather than gray, although in at least someCory's the primaryand secondary coverts are darker, giving an indistinctbut noticeable "v" wing pattern.(6) Greatershave a darksmudge on the centerof the lowerbelly, while Cory'sflash very white in this area.

SootyShearwater (Puffinus griseus)

Status:June - Sept.:Sooties are seenon 95% of crossingsthrough August, 50% thereafter Maximum counts are 313 on June19, 1971 and 150 on July6, 1974, and the same number on Aug.4, 1968.These counts are exceptional; usually fewer than 20 areseen. Oct. - May: Sootiesare essentiallysummer birds, extreme dates being May 21, 1966 and Oct. 6, 1961.

FieldIdentification:Looking almost black with stiffnarrow wings and silvery wing linings,

152 AmericanBirds, March 1978 SootyShearwaters resemble no other locally-occurringseabird. Even in contrarylight the nar- rownessof the wingtipsand quickness of flap arediagnostic. Floating dark-phase jaegers are somewhatsimilar but have heavychests and necks.Dark-phase fulmars are a smokygray, have blunt thick heads and necksand a slowerflap.

Manx Shearwater(Puffinus puffinus)

Status:June- Sept.:Since 1965, Manx Shearwatershave been seen on about60% of the crossingsafter mid-June.Maximum countsof four individualshave been recordedon four occasionsbetween July 7 andAug. 26. Extremedates are June 19 and Sept.27. Oct. - May: Althoughthere are no "Bluenose"records, sightings elsewhere in the Gulf of Maine suggest that the birdscan be expectedthrough early October.In 1973 a nestingpair of Manx Shear- waterswas discoveredat PenikeseI., Mass.,a firstbreeding record for the northwesternNorth Atlantic.The specieshas not beenfound nesting there subsequently, but a sizeablecolony was discoveredin Newfoundlandin 1977. Although"Bluenose" counts of Manx Shearwater are rather low, as many as 75 have been seenat one time somewhatnorth of its route,near Grand Marian, N.B., and off Brier I.. N.S.

Field Identification: Three small "black-and-white" shearwatershave been recorded in the western North Atlantic: Manx, Little and Audubon's. Of these, only the Manx is to be expectedin the Gulf of Maine and it is adequatelydescribed in the standardfield guides.

LittleShearwater (Puffinus assimilis) is a tiny (10")short-winged shearwater with rapidwing beatsdescribed as auk--like.It is a cool-waterspecies, replacing Audubon's in the eastern North Atlantic, but single specimensfrom South Carolina (Aug. 1883) and Sable I., N.S. (Sept. 1, 1896) are the only recordsfor the A.O.U. area. Duringthe summerof 1971 a small shearwater,possibly this species,w,zs observed from the "Bluenose"on four occasions.

Audubon'sShearwater (Puffinus Iherminieri) is readilyrecognized by itslong tail; although it is a smallerbird than ManxShearwater, averaging 10 - 15% shorterin lengthof wingand tarsus,the tail is about 15% longer.The shapeand relatedbehavior of quickturns and flutter- ing flight are distinctive.Audubon's Shearwater has not beenrecorded with certaintyfrom the "Bluenose".

STORM-PETRELS:H)/drobatidae

Storm-Petrelsare smalldark birdsthat fly rapidlyand erraticallyjust over the sea surface,often swervingor pausingto investigatesome bit of floating material.Two speciesoccur in the Gulf of Maine and are superficiallysimilar, both appearingblack and displayingat leastsome white on the uppertail coverts.One speciesnests locally.

Leach's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa)

Status: June- Sept.: Seenon 100% of the crossingsduring the period. Maximum counts were 527 on July7, 1968 and 400+ on Aug. 13, 1961. Seventy-fiveper crossing is an average mid-summertotal. Oct. - May: Leach'sStorm-Petrels remain common in the Gulf through mid-October, lingeringless commonly into November,the latestrecord being a singlebird on Nov. 10, 1968. There is one winter record,a bird seenon Jan.4, 1975 (PWS).The earliest springrecord is of eight birdson May 3, 1966. They probablyarrive by mid-April,but there have been no trips taken at that time. This is the only locally breedingtubenose, colonies being long establishedon offshoreislands in Maine, on islandsof the Grand Manan Archipelagoand at Seal I., N.S.

Volume 32, Number 2 153 FieldIdentification: The storm-petrelscan readilybe separated,but this requires direct comparativeexperience, the field guidesnot beingespecially helpful. For example,the forkedtail of Leach'sis hardto seeand a verypoor field mark.More usefulfor field identifica- tion are the long, pointedwings which have a pronouncedangle at the carpaljoint (wrist), and at close range,the sootybrown coloration.Further, it is almostimpossible to see the yellow websof the toesof Wilson'sStorm-Petrel, and seen from the sideor slightlyabove, the projectingfeet can give the appearance of a forkedtail. In comparisonto Leach'sthe wings of Wilson's are not sharplyangled at the wrist, and often appearmore roundedat the tips especiallywhen the shedding of innerprimaries gives the outer wing a racquet-or paddle-like shape.Wilson's are smallerand conspicuously blacker than Leach's, and this makes the more extensivelywhite rump more striking. At a distance,the two speciescan only be separatedby their mannerof flight. Leach's boundor leapalong the waterand frequently glide or scalewith bowedwings, suggesting tiny shearwaters.They fly buoyantly,veering sharply and often appearing to strikeand briefly hold aerial poses.The flight of Wilson'sStorm-Petrel, on the other hand, is morefiuttery, with shallowerstrokes, briefer glides, less bounding and lessabrupt veering. It mightbe saidthat Leach'sflight is erratic and "dreamy",Wilson's more direct and purposeful, buton calm days thesedistinctions can blur. Unlike Leach's,Wilson's habitually follow ships,crisscrossing over the wake, but more characteristicallyboth speciesare seenflying abeamof the "Blue- nose", often parallelingits coursefor longperiods. Wilson's are frequentlyseen dancing or "bouncing" over a spot on the surfacewith legsdangling and wings held high; Leach's occasionally do this, but only momentarily. Both species are often observed afloat, particularlylate in the day and characteristicallyin tightrafts usually of fewerthan 30 birds, unmixed or somewhat lessoften containingboth species.During the day, Leach'sStorm- Petrelsare rarelyseen within 20 milesof landor, in "Bluenose"terms, within 11/2hours of Bar Harbor or Yarmouth. It should be understoodthat even given these distinctions,an observerunfamiliar with either speciesis not likely to identifywith confidencethe firststorm-petrel he sees,unless it is very dose.

Wilson's Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)

Status:June- Sept.:Seen on 100% of the crossingsbetween June 19 and Sept.23. Maxi- mum counts are 2000+ on Sept. 23, 1975 and 400+ on Aug. 25, 1973. One hundredis a more typical count. The latestrecord is of six on Sept.27, 1970. Oct. - May: Althoughnot recorded in this period, Wilson's Storm-Petrelsundoubtedly linger into October in some years.The earliestspring record is of 10 on May 27, 1975.

Field Identification: See Leach's Storm-Petrel.

BritishStorm-Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) has beententatively reported on two summer crossings,but in lightof recentexperience with the speciesin the easternNorth Atlantic, the reportsseem unconvincing.Although similar to Wilson'sStorm-Petrel, British Storm-Petrel has proportionatelylonger, narrower wings and its flight is lessrapid and fluttery,being composedof strongdown-strokes interspersed with periodsof down-bowedglides. The white area on the underwingcoverts near the bodyis visiblefrom at leasttwo hundredyards and constitutesa good field mark. The shorterfeet do not project rearwardof the tail, but as Wilson's Storm-Petrelsoccasionally fly with the feet reflexedand hencehidden, the distinc- tion is not absolute.Although we feel the "Bluenose"reports are dubious, British Storm-Petrel breedsin Iceland,has occurred at SableI., N.S. (Aug. 10, 1970, the only NorthAmerican record),and shouldbe lookedfor in the westernNorth Atlantic.

154 American B•rds, March 1978 BOOBIES AND GANNETS: Sulidae

One species,the Gannet,occurs regularly in the Gulf of Maine.These are large birdswith long,stout, pointed bills, relatively long-pointed, rather stiffly-beaten wings and long,pointed tails. Typically, they fly somedistance above the oceansurface and capturetheir food by diving, often from considerableheights.

Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Status:June - Sept.:Seen on about80% of the crossingswith a maximumof 35 on Aug.29, 1968 (RWS).A countof one to five is moretypical. Oct.-May: Uncommonto fairly common throughmid-November with a peak in late October and early November,the maximumat this seasonbeing 119 on Nov. 8, 1971. Very rare throughoutthe winter, and we have little data concerningspring movements.

I•ielclIdentiœication: Second-year Gannets, the age classmost frequently seen from the "Bluenose" in the summer months,have essentiallywhite heads,necks, underparts and narrowrump band, and dark wings,back and tail. They are thussimilar enough to North Atlantic vagrant albatrossesthat reportsof the latter are always suspect.On the water, Gannetscarry their very noticeableand pointed bills horizontally while albatrossescharac- teristicallyangle their similarly-sized but hookedbills toward the water.In additionalba- trossesappear long-necked and high-sternedin contrastto the shortneck and lower,evenly roundedbody contourof Gannets.On calm days,flying albatrossesflap frequently,their extremelylong wings so articulated as to givea "double-jointed"effect, while Gannets keep a stiff-wingedprofile. Gannets have long,pointed tails which givethem a "pointedat both ends" appearance,and carrythe bill pointeddirectly forward, only loweringit when search- ing for food. Flyingalbatrosses carry the bill lowered10 ø - 15ø and lackthe longpointed tail. Finally, given wind, albatrossessoar dynamically while Gannetsbeat steadily,go into long shallowglides and beginbeating again almost as soonas they turn into the wind. To be continued.

For assistancein the preparationof this paper we wish to thank RichardG.B. Brown (CanadianWildlife Service)and Gerald N. Miller (CanadianNational) and RobertJ. Pawlowski (U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration). For recordsincluded herein we alsothank Kenneth P. Able, PeterR. Hope, R. RichardHowie, DanSalisbury, Robert W. Smart,Paul W. Sykes.William C. Townsendand Peter D. Vickery.

Further recordsfrom the "Bluenose"will be welcomed by the NortheasternMaritime RegionalEditor of AmericanBirds, 950 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022.

REFERENCES CITED

DuMont, Paul G., 1973. Black-browedAlbatross Warham,John, W.R.P. Bourneand H.F.I. Elliott, Sightingsoff the UnitedStates East Coast. 1974. Albatross Identification in the North Am. Birds 27:739 - 740. Atlantic. Am. Birds 28:585 - 598.

Finch, Davis W., 1976. NortheasternMaritime RegionalReport, Nesting Season. Am. Birds 30:926 - 930. -- South Road, East Kingston,N.H. 03837 McDaniel, JamesW., 1973. VagrantAlbatrosses in (Finch), Box 287, Seal Harbor, Me. 04675 the Western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. (Russell),117 Norfolk St., Bangor,Me. 04401 Am. Birds 27:563 - 5. (Thompson).

Volume 32, Number 2 155