Species: Leach’s Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa
Number of Individuals observed: 3
Date of Sighting: 10-30-2012
County : Dauphin
Location : west Fairview boat launch
GPS Coordinates: 40.272519,-76.914525
Observer(s): Alex Lamoreaux, many
Date of Submission: 2-26-2013
Submitted by: Alex Lamoreaux

Written Description: yes Photo: x1 Specimen: no Recording: no

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First Round Votes

6/6/2013 17:51 Cameron Rutt Class IV-B – insufficient evidence for evaluation.
Due to the nature of the Superstorm Sandy storm-driven birds, I’m sure that the birds in question were Leach’s Storm-Petrels; however, the documentation provides scant details with which to assess the birds. Therefore, I can accept this as “storm-petrel sp.” but not to species. All three of the probable North Atlantic storm-petrels are dark with white rump patches and pale carpal bars. The one-sentence description of flight-style does match Leach’s Storm-Petrel best (“wingbeats deep and springy” appears to come straight out of Sibley) but I would prefer to defer to field marks when available. Lastly, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels are described as having a “slightly notched tail” (Sibley) so eliminating Band-rumped by the birds’ “slightly notched tail” is unsatisfactory. Leach’s Storm-Petrel tails not affected by wear or molt have “distinctly forked tails” (Howell 2012) or “deep notch” (Sibley) in tail.

6/8/2013 2:54 Dave DeReamus Class I Diagnostic Photograph

6/11/2013 1:14 Devich Farbotnik Class I Other
Another poor photo but the written description supports Leach’s

6/3/2013 16:58 Drew Weber Class III – Sight record documented by one observer.

4/18/2013 21:41 Mike Fialkovich Class III – Sight record documented by one observer.

10/2/2013 23:14 Ben Coulter Class I Diagnostic Photograph

10/3/2013 6:59 Mike Lanzone Class I Diagnostic Photograph

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