[obol] that Boiler Bay alcid
- From: Darrel Faxon <5hats@xxxxxxxx>
- To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:13:03 -0700
which I saw there at 4:20 Sunday afternoon had the right characteristics
for Crested Auklet. I had a good, if somewhat brief look at it as it flew
by at nearly eye level, about sixty yards away. It was a mid-sized, chunky
bodied alcid, larger than a Cassin's (of which I saw many that day), and
smaller than a Rhinoceros Auklet. It was dark blackish gray throughout,
including wing linings and underparts, had a thick-necked, big headed
appearance, and flew with the fast, fluttery wingbeats typical of
auklets. Bill color appeared dark, or at least not discerned to be
differently colored than the plumage. In addition to the size difference
between it and Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets, it was darker than either
of those species, tending toward blackish, lacked any white on the
underparts, and had a different neck and head profile. It was
distinguishable from Whiskered Auklet by much larger size; from breeding
plumaged Marbled or Long-billed Murrelet (which would not likely be in
breeding plumage at this time of year anyway) by blacker color, wider-based
wings, and head and neck profile; from winter plumaged Tufted Puffin by
size and flight style; from all other similarly sized alcids by entirely
dark underparts.
The sighting would not be unprecedented. The species has been
recorded in California and as far south as Baja. It has been sighted at
least once from a cruise ship off the Oregon coast (Jeff Gilligan, pers.
comm.).
Darrel
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