On Saturday 26th July I enjoyed a brief seawatch at the Point Lonsdale
Lighthouse which is on the western entrance to Port Philip Bay,
south of Melbourne. The weather seemed totally wrong for seeing any
interesting seabirds - a strong northerly (offshore) wind was blowing.
However, I had great views of Shy Albatross (1) and Black-browed
Albatross (3+) as they soared over and fed in "The Rip". Small groups
would occasionally settle on the water to feed but I could not make out
what they were feeding on. Other birds of possible interest in the area
included Australasian Gannet, Sooty Oystercatcher (1) and
Crested Tern (7).
Perhaps as interesting as the albatross sightings was the discovery of
2+ whales also feeding in "The Rip". My description follows - if anyone
can suggest what species they were, I'd love to hear from you. They were
larger than a dolphin, uniform grey brown and swam slowly. Of the two,
one was much larger with a distintive dorsal fin which swept back and
made a very acute angle with its back. The dorsal fin was mobile and
flopped a little from side to side as it swam.
Any ideas?
.---. .----------- Mark Bennett
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