Usual Suspects 30 May 2023

 While we didn't turn up anything rare like yesterday - we did have some excellent views of the birds we encountered! Great Shearwaters are just starting to show up and we're starting to see more Scopoli's in with the Atlantic Cory's. But the stars today were a couple of Pomarine Jaegers and the Band-rumped and Leach's Stormies! You can find the trip report with totals linked below - as before remember to click the photos tab at the top to see some images I took today!

https://ebird.org/tripreport/135179

We thank Steve Howell for helping us lead the trip today and for contributing images and captions here below...

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel - Worn first-cycle bird starting molt of head and back; note faded upperwing coverts, worn tail creating a slight fork. At this season, plumage wear and molt stage indicate a summer-breeding population, most likely Madeiran Storm-Petrel.

Same individual - K. Sutherland

Leach’s Storm-Petrel trying to walk on water (note much shorter legs than Wilson’s, which is in a separate family, Southern Storm-Petrels, characterized by long legs, among other things). Worn first-cycle bird; note faded upperwing coverts and flight feathers, with tail tips worn off to create squared tail tip. 

Wilson’s goes for a walk in the Gulf Stream; a fresh juvenile that fledged only 2 months ago in the Antarctic!

White-faced Black-cap with our two Pomarine Jaegers! (K. Sutherland)

And a record shot of the Scopoli's Shearwater we had today! (K. Sutherland)