Wilson’s Storm-petrel – Western Approaches, 15^th August 1993

As suggested in the account for Great and Cory’s Shearwaters, approaching fishing boats, checking out the accompanying flock of birds, chumming as necessary, and then circling, before moving off to find more fishing boasts had proved very successful during the Scillonian pelagic on the 15th August 1993. But would we get the real target species??

As we approached each new group of fishing boats, we had had very productive results and there appeared to be more and more European Storm-petrels each time. But despite what were good numbers all told (and, I suppose, very good viewing conditions, or at least ones which were less fleeting and flitting than they might have been) there was no sign of our much-anticipated Wilson’s Storm-petrel.

There were though, several panics, myself included, over several ‘might be’ instances....... .

Birds were flitting around the boats and around the Scillonian itself, until eventually, magically, one closed in right alongside. As I binned it, and realisation slowly dawned, Paul yelled, “Wilson’s!!!!”. This meant I had a good view as it drifted past, only then to be lost as quickly as it was found. It was however, more than obliging as we manoeuvred, as on at least one further occasion it passed alongside the wake of the circling Scillonian and even went in for a bit of foot pattering.

In all, this is perhaps a very confused account, as it was written several weeks later, and the movements of the Scillonian (and of the birds around the Scillonian) disorientated me in the extreme, and the whole day exhausted me.

However, good views were obtained on at least two occasions. On both of these a comparison with the numerous European Storm-petrels was very instructive. For me the most obvious (immediate) difference was the flight pattern – the broader, straighter wings were held straight out. The bird used long glides interspersed with flickering wing-beats, very much like a Swallow. Also, it had a clear pale band across the secondary coverts like a Leach’s Storm-petrel; a ‘mucky’ brown area which was very striking. Finally, the foot pattering with raised wings and feet dipped / dangled into the sea was very characteristic, and excitingly diagnostic.

Wilson's Storm-petrel, Scilly, late-July 2017. I wasn't able to easily source an image of the bird seen from the Scillonian pelagic in August 1993, so this superb image taken by Joe Pender during one of his Sapphire Pelagics will have to do! 😆 Rare bird photography has come a long way with the advent of better and better digital cameras! I did a Sapphire Pelagic in July 2016, but this was too early for Wilson's Storm-petrels, and conversely, when I saw the Red-footed Booby (plus a fantastic feeding frenzy) from the Sapphire in October 2023 it was too late for Wilson's Storm-petrel. By then though, I'd seen loads in the Southern Oceans and indeed over land in South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, plus I'd probably seen the potential splits off Chile, etc., but that's a whole other story. Fantastic birds! (photograph credited to Joe Pender).