Vermont Rare Bird Reports 2020

35mph SSW wind. Overcast.
Missing “sun” behind observer.

30 X 122 spotting scope (42X option not at hand).
Not too far for viewing at 30X, but closer would have been better.

Yes.
Previous storm-petrel sightings at this location, although not always successfully documented?
Also long familiar with petrels in many field guides. Easily recognized as a storm-petrel.

1st: I sighted a distant black bird approaching from far to the north — too far away at first, except for noting the non-crow, non-scoter, non-jaeger, non-duck flight. Flight powering south against the wind, and close to the water surface.
2nd: I again locked on to the bird as it neared, confirming the solid black body of a “swallow”.
Wings black above and black below. Body black above and below. Head all black.
3rd: Watched it passing by. Noted the white on the rump of a white-rumped storm-petrel.
4th: Struggled to determine the extent downward of the rump’s white onto the rear of the flanks*,
and why perhaps the tail seemed shorter, with maybe a short extension (ie. feet protruding?) as the storm-petrel proceeded south.

The petrel alighted in a trough of the waves to the south; I lost sight of it in the waves. I could not determine if the storm-petrel immediately flew onward; it was at the limit of my view south, blocked by the cedar windbreak.

*[In a previous failed report, use of the term flanks may have been misconstrued to mean the entire side; but no, just the upper portion of the aft end of the sides. Dunno what else to call it.]

The view of the moving target was not crystal clear, but the white patch seemed to extend too low for Leach’s and Band-rumped (Band-rumped a less likely species for Lake Champlain). The apparent foot extension — not a forked tail — would confirm Wilson’s over Leach’s.
If I hadn’t been buffeted by a gust of wind during the storm-petrel’s last few moments of flight, I might have figured it out. Having the 1.4 lens extension would have really helped!

The distance and the slightly fuzzy atmosphere would have made analyzing the extent of lighter shading on the wing coverts pointless, had I thought of it. Just a dark bird on an overcast day.

Flight characteristics of the storm-petrel would have been affected by the strong winds close above the huge choppy waves, thus perhaps not helpful in separating Wilson’s from Leach’s.
Strong south winds build up massive waves in the “narrows” between Cumberland Head and Grand Isle.

Weird wacky weather this Autumn. Lots of strong wild winds. Warm temps.
No particular theory for the storm-petrel’s presence.