Yesterday at Robert Moses SP I observed about 5 or 6 Sooty Shearwaters along
with some good looks at two light color form Parasitic Jaegers that were
pursuing terns out over the ocean. Things got a bit more interesting when my
friend said what is that dark bird in the water close to shore. After getting
my scope in line it ended up being a Sooty Shearwater that appeared to be
foraging in the 3 foot breakers; diving under the white water like a scoter or
merganser. I thought I was witnessing some great hunting behavior but I soon
realized that this was not the case. After about 10 minutes of diving through
the breakers the bird seemed to relinquish its adept maneuverability and began
to take some waves broadside. This battering went on for another few minutes,
as the bird was flipped and pushed towards shore several times. Eventually it
washed up and remained there lethargically. I went over to see if there was
something that could/should be done. The bird did not have any visible
physical damage to the wings or otherwise and the muscle/fat around its keel
area felt sufficient. In the end the bird remained in the same spot on the
shore with its head and bill in the sand and its eyes opening briefly from time
to time. I know that this is part of the way things are, but watching this
bird come to its demise after seeing its cohorts soaring over the ocean was
devastating. This is highly speculative, but I wonder if methly-mercury
bioamplification could be to blame. The bird seemed uncoordinated in the surf.
Chase CammarotaBabylon, nychasecammar...@hotmail.com
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