Figures 51, 52 (top, bottom). On 17 November 1990, eleven years to the day after a controversial sight record, Stejneger’s Petrel was fully documented in California with photographs (Rod Norden) and detailed sketches (Keith Hansen). The record involves two birds approximately 53 nautical miles southwest of Southeast Farallon Island, San Francisco County (1990-175).

STEJNEGER’S PETREL Pterodroma longirostris (Stejneger, 1893)

This petrel nests on Isla Alejandro Selkirk (Más Afuera) off Chile and disperses northwest to waters off Japan, as well as to the vast expanse of ocean between Hawaii and North America. Records from the eastern Pacific Ocean were summarized by McCaskie and Roberson (1992).

California’s first Stejneger’s Petrel—recorded on 17 November 1979 about 60 nautical miles off Pt. Sur, Monterey County—was seen for less than a minute and remained unidentified for two days (McCaskie and Roberson 1992). This record proved to be contentious (Kaufman 1991; cf. AOU 1983, 1989, 1998) despite earlier collections of four individuals approximately 685 nautical miles off the coast of California (19 November 1906; CAS 1141, 1142, 1143, 1144; Loomis 1918, Moffitt 1938). This petrel’s place on the California and North America lists (AOU 1998) was not solidified until 17 November 1990, when two birds were documented with sketches and photographs far off the central coast (Figures 51, 52).

Only six Stejneger’s Petrels have been found in California waters, four in mid November and two in early July; see also Appendix H. Each was far offshore from San Francisco County southward. See papers by Roberson and Bailey (1991), McCaskie and Roberson (1992), and Spear et al. (1992) for identification criteria.