White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis-California first
White-chinned Petrel in California.
Only second record to the ABA area and the first record for California, the White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis is a Mega bird in North America, in spite being quite common as migrant bird in the Southern seas. In Peru it is seen regularly on our pelagics in spite that birds visiting us in Peru breed in New Zealand and sub-antartic islands.
The California bird was seen and photographed in Half Moon Bay, San Mateo off the continental shelf on Oct 18 a pelagic trip organized by Sequoia Audubon Society. Good birds have been showing in Half Moon Bay lately. Alvaro Jaramillo reported on a Short-tailed Albatross the other day – with a satellite transmitter on its back!! Amazing.
Here are two galleries to with pics of the Petrel.
Extraordinary pelagics in the area are now being planned. There should be a lot of birders in the US, that want this bird on their ABA lists.
Photo above taken in Peru 22 Oct 2006 by Gunnar Engblom
