WHAT IS THIS BIRD?

This photo was taken by Jon and Janet Coleman on a Southport pelagic on Saturday, 21 March 2026. No one is sure of the bird's identity. Initially, it was called as a Fluttering Shearwater, but questions were soon asked about that. Some thought it might be a Manx Shearwater; others opted for Newell's Shearwater. Here's another photo, this one taken by Jacob Crisp.

I travelled to Southport for this pelagic in the hope of seeing a New Caledonian Storm Petrel. I did not see one. What's worse, I didn't even see the unidentified shearwater in the photos above. So, for me, I did not achieve my objective. Others on the boat were brimming with excitement. I flew to the Gold Coast on Friday afternoon, and the taxi charged me $200 to take me to my Southport hotel. I've done this trip three times before, and each time the taxi fare has been just under $100. I wasn't happy. Some large triathalon was being held on the Gold Coast this weekend. My taxi driver hadn't heard about it and the hotel assured me, when asked, that it would not interfere with my getting to the boat the next morning. They were wrong. The boat was scheduled to leave at 5.30. When my taxi hadn't arrived at 5.10, I began to get anxious. To give him credit, the taxi driver rang to say the road closures were holding him up. I rang Craig, Captain of the Grinner, to explain I'd be late. The taxi eventually came and drove me, by a very circuitous route, to the marina. I was only a little late, but when I arrived, everyone was on the boat waiting to go. I felt awful. What a way to start the day! The weather was warm and we had just a few tiny sprinkles of rain during the day, but the seas were calm and you'd have to say they were ideal conditions for a pelagic. The trouble is, when you have your heart set on just one bird, you are very easily disappointed. One of the other participants was extremely excited at the end of the day. Here's a taste of his email: 'What an absolutely epic day out on the water! I am still buzzing from the sheer number of highlights. Seeing the Tahiti and Kermadec Petrels, the Lesser Frigatebirds, the Masked Booby, the White Tern, the Pomarine Jaeger, and that spectacular White-tailed Tropicbird all in one day was beyond my wildest expectations.' Clearly he went home ecstatic. I, on the other hand, did not see the storm petrel which was the object of my journey, dipped on the intriguing unidentified shearwater, was annoyed with all taxi drivers everywhere, and went home very stressed. Such is life.