Report 23/10/04

[Peter Milburn <>]

23rd October, 2004 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA. 

Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.   

Departed: 07:15 returned at 16:00 EST
Sea conditions: Calm at first with a slight easterly sea to 0.5m later.
Swell:  3 to 4 m ENE. 
Weather: Bright sunshine.  
Temperature range: 18.6 to 24.2°C.
Barometric pressure: 1008 HPa in the morning rising to 1013HPa in the afternoon. 
Wind: calm at first with a light breeze 5 to 8 knots from the east developing during the day.
Sea surface temperature: 18.4 to 20.5°C. 
Primary chumming location: S 34° 29' - E 151° 21'. 

Summary:

A low-pressure cell in the Tasman Sea had generated onshore winds and torrential rain during the preceding week.   A trough had extended from Northern Australia to form a second but weak cell that was centred off the southern NSW coast, near Wollongong.  This resulted in a glorious day for birdwatching at sea with blue skies and light easterly airs.  With both a calm surface and a large but comfortable swell, conditions would be ideal for observing cetaceans as well. 

Immediately outside the breakwater, terns and shearwaters were foraging over large fish shoals.   Several Southern Humpback Whales were with calves heading south and we were soon watching what appeared to be lessons in how to breach and slap one's tail on the surface of the ocean.  Large numbers of shearwaters provided quite a spectacle as well as good views of individual species for visitors from overseas.  Short-beaked Common Dolphins and Little Penguins were observed foraging in this area also.

As we crossed a water interface at the 40-fathom line we moved into cooler water and left all of the activity behind us.  We cruised due east to the edge of the Continental Shelf and observed our first Pomarine Jaeger of the spring but nothing else of note.  Cruising into deeper water, we were greeted by several Solander's Petrels and a young Gibson's Albatross. We elected to try a drift-and-berley session in the calm conditions and soon attracted a number of petrels and a few more Gibson's Albatross.  The serenity of morning was broken in no uncertain terms when it was realised that another incoming pale-backed albatross was in fact a LIGHT-MANTLED SOOTY ALBATROSS.  The bird was in its second year and its nape and mantle were rather bleached.  After circling us for about five minutes the bird skied gracefully up to our stern!
 
The return cruise was very pleasant in the hot afternoon sunshine and Flesh-footed Shearwater, Arctic Jaeger and White-fronted Tern were added to the list of species observed for the day.

Highlights:

There is no doubt that the birding highlight was the protracted views of the LIGHT-MANTLED SOOTY ALBATROSS.  Another highlight was the release of a rehabilitated adult Sooty Tern that had come ashore in the storms during the week.  After taking to the wing by itself, the bird towered up to about 200m and then flew rapidly NNE. 

Birds recorded according to the latest Environment Australia Reporting Schedule:

Species code:                       Species name:           Numbers:

(Note: numbers in parenthesis = highest count at any one time)

005 Little Penguin Eudyptula minor 2 (2)
073 Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera gouldi 14 (12)
971 Solander's Petrel P. solandri 22 (14)
068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 160+ (50+)
917 Hutton's Shearwater P. huttoni 17 (14)
069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater P. pacificus 1000+ (750+)
070 Sooty Shearwater P. griseus 2 (1)
071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 7 (3)
072 Flesh-footed Shearwater P. carneipes 3 (2)
847 Gibson's Albatross Diomedea gibsoni 4 (3)
859 Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida 3 (2)
093 Light-mantled Sooty Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata 1 second year bird
063 Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus 3 (2)
104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 4 (4)
099 Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius 1
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 7 (4)
945 Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus 5 (3)

128 Arctic Jaeger S. parasiticus 4 (2)
981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 11 (8)
125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 125+ (85+)
114 White-fronted tern Sterna striata 2 (1)
115 Crested Tern S. bergii 100+ (25)
953 Common Tern Sterna hirundo 10 (3)


In the harbour:

100 Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 1
096 Great Cormorant P. carbo 3
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 4

23 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater. 

Other birds

None

Mammals

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 8 (3)
Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 35 (20)

Reptiles

None

Fish

None

For previous trip reports and selected images from this trip visit
http://www.sossa-international.org/

Future Trips

All Pelagic Trips from NSW are operated at no profit to the organisers being operated as group boat charters for the benefit of all who wish to join us.  If you would like to join one of these trips please contact us as below:

To make a booking on the SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic Trips that depart on the 4th Saturday of each month contact:

SOSSA: Phone 02 4271 6004.
Email:

Carl Loves Phone: 0427 423 500


Pete Milburn: Mobile 0428 249 506, 02 6255 1313 (AH) or 02 6125 4173 (BH)



To make a booking for Sydney PelagicTrips that depart from Rose Bay public jetty on the 2nd Saturday of each month contact

Tony Palliser Ph; 02-99001678 (w), 02-94115272  (h)
http://www.zip.com.au/~palliser



To make a booking for Eden Pelagic Trips, which are run on the 5thSunday of each month as it occurs, contact

Barbara Jones or Ph (02) 6495 7390


Note: SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association

--

Dr P.J. Milburn
Technical Specialist
ANU Biomolecular Resource Facility
John Curtin School of Medical Research
Australian National University
GPO Box 334
Canberra ACT 0200
'Phone +61 2 6125 4326
FAX +61 2 6125 4326