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+--- Thread: seabird above Hilo Bay? (/showthread.php?tid=12948)
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seabird above Hilo Bay? - csgray - 01-06-2014
Today we took our middle school outside for some community building games on the playing fields by the Band shell. While we were there I saw a bird riding the serious winds, it was able to glide back and forth in a stiff wind about 30 feet above the shoreline. If I was in the mainland I would have thought "really big seagull" but I know we are spared gulls here. Does anyone know what I saw? It was mostly white with black along the front edge of the wings and maybe a dark head. The wings were angled in the middle, not straight, I didn't have a great view, but could see that much.
Thanks for any information from our Punaweb birders.
Carol
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - punafish - 01-06-2014
Albatross? http://www.scienceviews.com/animals/images/SIA2842.jpg
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - TomK - 01-06-2014
My first thought was an albatross although I've never seen one here and I don't think they have black heads, although they do have dark colourings on the front of their wings. They can show that angle in the wings you mention. Second thought is a night heron which do live here and can have dark colours on their head although not so sure about that angle being so obvious. I'm sure there are other candidates though.
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - PaulW - 01-06-2014
Petrel?
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - rainyjim - 01-06-2014
Sounds like a booby or maybe a tropicbird.
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - TomK - 01-06-2014
Good suggestion. Carol, could you tell if the back of the wings were also dark coloured? Although an albatross has some dark colours at the back of the wings, I think they are more noticeable on a petrel. Other thing I remember is that petrels aren't that white although their underside is white, so it depends which bit of them you see.
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - Andy - 01-07-2014
I was kayaking on Hilo bay with some friends on Xmas day and I saw three gulls. These were definitely gulls. I was not able to identify which species.
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - csgray - 01-07-2014
I was looking from underneath, behind and a little to the side so I am not really sure about the head color, but my impression was of a dark head. The flying skills were what really made me notice. If I was on the Oregon coast I would have said large gull, but so far Hawaii has been spared gulls. If it was a gull at least it didn't have a friend.
This sighting really made me think again about how hard it is for breeding populations of new species to get to Hawaii on their own steam. It takes not just one, but a breeding pair to even begin the process of establishing a population; of course human transportation to and from the islands has changed all that. We have both the most endangered species, and the most invasive species of any place on the planet.
Carol
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - Andy - 01-07-2014
Carol, I was with some ex-zookeepers who were as shocked as I was seeing them. We were speculating that they may have followed one of the cruise ships in, which is plausible.
RE: seabird above Hilo Bay? - csgray - 01-07-2014
I really hope you were all wrong Andy! If gulls get established here we can probably kiss our native shore birds goodbye. Gulls are the Asian carp of the seabird world, they are voracious eaters and prolific breeders, which makes them able to take over the environmental niches that were supporting other species. If you are right I wonder if NOAA and the scientists who track albatross populations know about this?
Carol