Sooty Shearwaters are one of the most numerous seabirds of the Southern Oceans and breed in Southern South America.

Paula and I were based in the village of Boyeruca on the coast of Chile. As part of our ‘greatest birdwatching adventure in the world’ we spent a few days counting the Sooty Shearwaters  and one day in December we counted tens of thousands moving south.

Sea watching for birds is one of the more difficult aspects of birdwatching.  Many times we have sat on the dunes of Spurn Point in England as an easterly wind blew in our faces. Shapes over the waves indicated possible species of Skua and concentration and perseverance is needed to secure a satisfactory identification.

 

Generally sea watching off the central and northern coast of Chile is a more pleasant experience.  Off shore there lies the Humboldt current and this brings in its wake a plethora of wildlife, such as  fish, birds and mammals.  It’s warm, sometimes hot, and the birds are much more numerous.

The birds that December day, were no ‘will o’-the-wisps’ over the waves.  Instead black squadrons swarmed over the sea, wheeling as Shearwaters do, driven upwards by the crest of each wave and then downwards by the wind, a tumbling tumult of birds.

 

 

 

Mixed in with the ‘Sootys’ were also Pink-footed Shearwaters and various species of Petrel.

 

Considering that these birds are global in their distribution, it is a sobering truth to realise that they and many other seabirds are declining, with over-fishing as their main threat.

International agreements on fishing quotas and net size will all secure seabird conservation.