Falkland Islands Travel Forum

I spotted a bird following our ship coming into the Falklands a few weeks ago and I'm wondering if anyone can identify it with authority?

You can see it at www.2pi.ca/bird1.jpg

Thanks

Looks like some kind of albatross.

Actually it looks like a Southern Giant Petrel

Looks like the Giant Antarctic Petrel to me. At first I thought it was a Skua but the beak is the wrong color. Will check with my husband. He has spent time in that area with his father who is an ornithologist that studied the birds in that area for many many years.

Could be light mantled spotty Albatross.

That should be light mantled sooty Albatross

No the beak is different and also the colouring. The beak is a petrel with the little ridge on the beak.

Your eyesight is beter than mine Pam!

This site has some good pictures
http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=1067

http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/Birds.html#GiantPetrel

Scroll down to the Giant Petrel. Looks very similar to me. Your picture definitely has the Petrel beak, the white head, and the brown body.

I'm looking in my Antarctica bird book, and I would agree with Southern Giant Petrel, which is also called the Antarctic Giant Petrel. It's the beak shape, particularly, that distinguises it from an albatross. And this petrel is a "frequent follower" of ships to watch for scraps from the galley, or bread tossed out by pax (which you are not supposed to do!).

Wow! I thought somebody in the next 6 months might answer, but I got so many good responses so quickly. At the time I shot the photo I thought it might be some kind of Albatross, but I started to have doubts when I did some research. You guys are so excellent, I'm going to try this again sometime, though perhaps my other sightings won't be quite as special. I've moved www.2pi.ca/bird1 to
www.2pi.ca/birds and I've added another shot of the same bird. I may add more pictures.

I think we have a consensus that it is an Antarctic Giant Petrel.

Thanks so much for your comments, and the links to pictures.

LOL, I've learned SO much off people on VT. IT's just amazing. :-))

Macronectes giganteus (Southern Giant Petrel, also called Antarctic Giant Petrel)

You can see the "tube" above the nose http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Macronectes_giganteus1.jpg

and also in your picture...

Sebastian.

LOL, yep :-)