August 19th 2007. BBC Pelagic trip to Hydrographer Canyon, MA.
Small 'black-and-white' Shearwater. Puffinus sp.

This bird came nice and close to the stern of the Helen H. during a brief chumming session in Hydrographer Canyon waters at 12:26 hours. Two birds were present, one a reasonably clear Audubon's Shearwater, and this one, which although presumed to be Audubon's showed a couple of interesting features. These features seem to be at odds with the reference material that I've checked thus far on Audubon's. The most obvious was a clear projection of the feet beyond the tail, seen in both dorsal and ventral views. Slightly more subtle, but still rather notable at some angles was a grayish hue to the greater coverts and inner primaries, creating a slight contrast with the blacker secondries.

I'd be very interested to receive feedback from experienced seabirders on the appearance of this presumed Audubon's Shearwater.
Blair Nikula and Phil Brown have kindly offered to share links to thier own exceptional images of the same bird at the following:

http://www.capecodbirds.org/Hydrographer/hydrographer0807.htm

http://www.nebirdsplus.org/BBCExtremePelagic_Aug_17_07.htm
Images taken using Canon Powershot A540 through Leica 8 x 42 binoculars.




















































Manx Shearwater - Southern Nantucket Shoals, same day.





Audubon's Shearwater - Hydrographer Canyon waters, same day.










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