At about 5.10pm on Tuesday evening, a Booby flew past my seawatching station on Po Toi heading NE. I assumed it was a Brown Booby until I looked at the photos later that evening, here are 6 photos plus 3 enlargements
As it was very misty and the light was bad, colours have not come out well on the photos and they are mostly black, grey and white. Nevertheless, I think it is possible to identify the species.
A Booby in this region with dark upper wings and head and white underparts should be either a Brown Booby or an immature Masked Booby. I think this is an immature Masked Booby for the following reasons
1. It has a complete white collar going right around the back of the neck
2. The breast is white up to the throat
3. The underwing is extensively white with a thin dark central line
4. The back and forewing is a lighter brown colour
5. The head and scapulars have white patches indicating moulting into a white colour
These features should not appear in a Brown Booby but are expected in an immature Masked Booby, according to Robson 'Birds of SE Asia' and National Geographic 'Field Guide to the Birds of North America'. I think the complete white collar as seen in all the photos is a critical feature.
Comments please.
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Last edited by wgeoff at 18/08/2010 17:49 ]
