Galapagos field notes, v579
Page 555
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
March 17 on board "Golden Bear", Coco Is. to San Diego, Calif. Gull with about 50 birds follows the boat & flying about near by, least common was Calif. Gull, with about 15 terns following the boat. I some worked out ways of telling adults of these species apart from the underwing pattern as in the following diagram: black trailing edge = h. occidentalis black tip, almost no white = h. argentatus black tip, large white spot = h. californicus in addition the Calif. Gulls have a black spot on the lower mandible looking in the other two species. Also saw & 1/2 year Blanchus- wing Gull during this time. Procelliform birds were well represented by White Shear- waters which were flying W between the islands and towards the San Benitos, mostly in 3's and 4's but also as single birds. Flushed one group of about 50 from the water. They stayed far off from the boat, and flushed at a good dis- tance. Their #s were clearly decreasing towards the end of the watch, and when I went out a little late, I saw only & single bird. Most of them were 5 of the San Benitos. I also saw at least 6 Fulmars during this period, all in a grey-buff inter- mediate plumage. 2 of them followed the ship and one stayed the whole time working along