Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus
This species and Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan were formerly lumped as one species, Mediterranean Shearwater.
A scarce migrant in Norfolk with occasional birds being seen during seawatches every autumn. They're more numerous in the south-west.
Though Manx and Sooty Shearwaters are very much more numerous off the coast of Norfolk, if you see a shearwater lingering offshore there's a good bet it will be a Balearic Shearwater. Other species nearly always fly straight past and it's extremely rare to see one linger. Most Balearics also fly straight past, but quite a few have lingered, sometimes for several hours.
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Balearic Shearwaters, from pelagic boat trip south of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Bouche-du-Rhone, France), 2nd May 1999 - these are scans from prints and the original image was very small so there's no larger version available
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Balearic Shearwater, Porthgwarra (Cornwall, UK), 5th October 2011 - again tight crops so no larger version available - as are the next images below
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Balearic Shearwaters, Pendeen (Cornwall, UK), 6th October 2011
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Balearic Shearwater, Pendeen (Cornwall, UK), 20th November 2013
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Balearic Shearwater, Sheringham (Norfolk, UK), 27th September 2012
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