Date: 9/16/26 5:28 pm From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Black-vented Shearwater
While scoping around 8 AM, the B-v Shearwater entered my view, and I was
able to follow it long enough to see the discerning field marks and flight
style. It flapped a lot with quick wingbeats, and glided/sheared some,
showed relatively short, somewhat rounded wings, had more body length in
front of the wing, while appearing a little back heavy in the shorter rear
portion. The plumage was brownish dorsally and on the vent, while the
belly and underwing were off-white, and the throat/neck were muddy
white-brown. It stayed low over the surface, banking a little as it flew
off southward. Unlike August of '25, when the only other northern sighting
was a single bird in Monterey County shortly before mine, there have been
many Black-venteds moving up the coast for some weeks, with as many as 30
spotted yesterday off of the San Mateo coast. If the movement continues
northward, as in the last super-Nino, they could be present in numbers off
of SF soon.
There was also a big increase in Parasitic Jaegers, with roughly 15 mostly
white morphs harassing terns, gulls ,and each other. Over at North Lake in
GG Park, the Northern Waterthrush found yesterday by David was still
present, mostly at the south end, but also near the north island. And
David's Chestnut-sided Warbler was still present in early afternoon at
Dragonfly Creek, visible from the nursery and the trail on the other side
of the riparian area.
Brian Fitch
On Wed, Sep 16, 2026 at 8:10 AM Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> A single bird flew by the Sutro Baths terrace southbound a few minutes
> ago. Details later.
> Hopefully the first of many.
> Brian Fitch
>
>
>
