SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER

278            SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER          Puffinus tenuirostris

Australia          (248)

Also known as Slender-billed Shearwater, Bass Strait or Tasmanian Muttonbird. Breeds in tens of millions in islands from Recherche Arch (WA) east through SA, Vict, Ras, and Bass Strait, n. to Broughton Is. (NSW).Migrates to N. Pacific via n. of NZ and Japan, and returning via w. coast of N. America. 40-43 cm, span 90 cm.

Photographed on Kiama Pelagic, June 2016

WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER

277        WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER               Puffinus pacificus

Australia            (247)

Common 'mutton bird' of warmer coastal regions. Range off the shore of east and west coast,but not across north or south, or Tasmania. 38-46 cm, span about 1 m.

WANDERING ALBATROSS

276        WANDERING ALBATROSS          Diomedea exulans

Australia          (246)

Longest-winged ocean bird. Range around southern oceans from Fremantle (WA) to Whitsundays (Q). 1.1-1.35 m, wingspan 2.5-3.5 m.

Juvenile, photographed on Kiama pelagic, July 2016

CAMPBELL ALBATROSS

275           CAMPBELL ALBATROSS         Thalassarche impavida

Australia          (245)

Also known as Campbell mollymawk. It breeds on Christmas Island and the associated islet of Jeanette Marie. Juveniles and breeders will go through south Australia water, the Tasman Sea and south-western Pacific.Weigh 3.21 kg and is 88cm long. Average life expectancy is 28 years but some have lived to be more than 50.

SHY ALBATROSS

274         SHY ALBATROSS            Diomedea cauta

Australia        (244)

Also known as White-capped Albatross and Mollymawk. It ranges around the ocean and all coast lines below Tropic of Capricorn. Largest of the Albatrosses, 90-100 cm, wingspan 2.1 to 2.6 m. The only Albatross with Australian breeding stations, at Albatross Rock in Bass Strait, the Mewstone and Pedra Branca, in s. Tasmania.

NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS

273       NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS      Diomedea epomophora

Australia                 (243)

1-1.2 m; wingspan 3-3.5 m. Sometimes divided into Northern Royal Albatross and Southern Royal Albatross. Found off the shores of southern Australia, Victoria and southern NSW.

              

BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS

272      BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS             Diomedea melanophris

Australia        (242)
 
Also known as Mollymawk. 84-94 cm, wingspan 2.1-2.5 m. Most abundant of Albatrosses, breeds all around the Polar region. Range around Australia coastal regions up as far as Tropic of Capricorn.

GOOSANDER

Photographed in Wales

271             GOOSANDER              Mergus merganser

Britain          (6)

Known in North America as Common Merganser, and sometimes referred to as Buff-breasted Merganser. Found in rivers and lakes of forested areas. Range across Europe, north and central Asia and North America. 58-72 cm. Can be found in freshwater and saltwater. Has several edges on bill, to help grip fish, so also known as sawbills.

Male Goosander

MUTE SWAN

Photographed in England

270          MUTE SWAN           Cygnus olor

Britain        (5)

A native to much of Europe and Asia,and infrequent visitor to northern Africa; introduced to North America, Australia and southern Africa. 125-170 cm. Called 'mute' as not as noisy as other swans. The total native population of swans is about 500,000, of these 350,000 are in the former Soviet Union, 22,000 in the UK. For many centuries in Britain swans were breed for food, the owners would mark or brand the beak or feet and these marks were registered with the crown. A Royal Swanherder was appointed and any birds not branded were considered property of the crown.

RUDDY TURNSTONE

Photographed in England

269            RUDDY TURNSTONE           Arenaria interpres

Britain      (4)

Also commonly known as Turnstone, even though there are two types of Turnstones. It breeds in the northern parts of Eurasis and North America and migrates to countries in the southern hemisphere. 22-24 cm. In Australia found around the coastline of the mainland and Tasmania.

EUROPEAN ROBIN

268                      EUROPEAN ROBIN                  Erithacus rubella

Britain (3)

Commonly known just as Robin or even English Robin. 12.5-14 cm. Found across Europe , east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa. The robin is an insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, it was considered part of thrush family  but now considered Old World flycatcher. The term robin is widely used; the American robin is a thrush, and the Australian robins belong to the family Petrocia. There were attempts to introduce the European Robin into Australia but they all failed. 

COMMON CHAFFINCH

267              COMMON CHAFFINCH                  Fringilla coelebs

Britain    (2)

Commonly known as Chaffinch. Breeds in much of Europe, across Asia to Siberia and in northwest Africa. Prefers open woodlands. 14.5 cm.