Having done pelagic trips in a number of states, what surprises me is how
seabird species seem to behave differently in different states.
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters seemed to flock in big numbers behind the boat off
Wollongong. Yet off Perth, they fly around but have seldom landed behind
the boat. Perhaps the larger Flesh-footed Shearwaters cause them to stay
away, although I have never seen interaction between the two species. At
Lord Howe Island, we had Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and Flesh-footed
Shearwaters together close to the boat. The Wedge-tailed Shearwaters breed
on Rottnest Island, while the Flesh-footed Shearwaters don't breed close to
Perth, so this might be another factor?
Great-winged Petrels landed readily close behind the boat off
Wollongong. They are fairly common on the Perth pelagics but very very few
have landed on the water, and never close to the boat.
We get Soft-plumaged Petrels in quite large numbers (up to 70) on the
winter trips off Perth. They are a certainty on trips from June to mid
September. While only one or two have landed close to the boat, we usually
get several flying around close to the boat for a period of time.
___________________________________________________________________
Frank O'Connor Birding WA http://members.iinet.net.au/~foconnor
Phone : (08) 9386 5694 Email :
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