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From: "Simon Mustoe" <>
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Subject: Eden Pelagic Trip Report, 6-7 November 2004
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 21:21:19 +1100
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Eden (NSW) Pelagic Trip Report Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 November 2004
Details of the trip including images can be found on =
http://www.ecology-solutions.com.au/eden_nov_04/eden_nov_04.htm
Highlights included KILLER WHALES and BULLER'S SHEARWATER.
__________________
Freedom Charter's Connemara was chartered for two days out of Eden,
NSW. =
Saturday's weather was dominated by a moderate SW with a wind of 15-20 =
knots and seas of 1.0-2.0m with a 0.5m swell. There was some rain in
the =
afternoon. Sunday started fine with 0.5m swell and a light SW wind of =
less than 10 knots rising by mid afternoon to about 20 knots and
backing =
SE.
According to the CSIRO Sea Surface Temperature website, a warm-core
eddy =
of the East Australian Current was present offshore with its southern =
front about equal in latitude to Eden and the western extreme skirting =
the edge of the continental shelf just beyond the 200m drop off. At sea
=
this manifested itself as a rise in over 1 degree Celsius peaking at =
between 18.7 and 19 degrees over the shelf. Many of the birds and =
cetaceans on Sunday, when the weather was fine, were seen along current
=
lines in water depths of between about 150 and 300m.
Altogether a fantastic weekend of pelagic birding and cetaceans.
Despite =
the weather Saturday was an extraordinary day with literally hundreds
of =
thousands of shearwaters. Short-tailed and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters in =
about equal numbers were present around the vessel in thousands for
most =
of the day but particularly within two hours of leaving Eden. Also =
present were large numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters and Fluttering =
Shearwaters with some Hutton's Shearwaters. Several feeding frenzies =
were observed including one with Common Dolphins and Australian Fur =
Seals. Albatrosses were mainly Campbell (no Melanophrys were seen)
with =
slightly fewer numbers of Shy. Several Gibson's were seen, mainly
adults =
but one immature plumage bird and one intermediate. On return to Eden
in =
the afternoon, an Eastern Reef Egret standing on the rock revetments at
=
the harbour was a surprise.
On Sunday bird numbers were significantly lower but arriving at the =
shelf the water temperature rose and current lines appeared along which
=
several groups of Common Dolphins and many seabirds were seen. This =
culminated in the highlight of the weekend, a group of 10-12 Killer =
Whales as well as a Buller's Shearwater seen well close to the vessel. =
Albatrosses were again mainly Black-browed (Campbell Albatross) and Shy
=
Albatross but more Gibson's were seen further offshore including about
5 =
birds during a berley stop. This also resulted in the appearance of =
several White-chinned Petrels.
On board Connemara were Simon Mustoe, Dave Donnelly, Adrian Howard, =
Megan Morris, Jason Edwards, Chris (Lekos) and Bronwyn, Sue Mason, John
=
Mason, Peter Constable, Phil Tubbs.
CHECKLIST OF SEABIRDS AND CETACEANS (Apologies I have not bothered to =
put these in strict taxonomic order).
Species
Saturday 6 Nov.
Sunday 7 Nov.
Unidentified Gadfly Petrel
1
Great-winged Petrel
16
Providence Petrel
3
Southern Giant Petrel
4
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
> 400,000
> 8,000
Flesh-footed Shearwater
100s
> 1,000
Sooty Shearwater
1
Short-tailed Shearwater
> 400,000
> 8,000
Buller's Shearwater
1
Fluttering Shearwater
> 1000
> 750
Hutton's Shearwater
4
3
Wandering Albatross
10
21
Black-browed Albatross sp.
28 (all observed were impavida)
80 (all observed were impavida)
Shy Albatross (steadi / cauta)
44
50
Salvin's Albatross
2
Yellow-nosed Albatross
3
1
Wilson's Storm Petrel
1
Australasian Gannet
13
5
Black-faced Cormorant
1
Little Pied Cormorant
6
2
Little Black Cormorant
1
Great Cormorant
30
20
Little Penguin
1
Pomarine Jaeger
2
1
Arctic Jaeger
1
Pacific Gull
2
Silver Gull
1
Crested Tern
1
2
Caspian Tern
1
White-bellied Sea-eagle
2
3
Eastern Reef Egret
1
Australian Fur Seal
22
4
Common Dolphin
> 80
> 230
Oceanic (offshore) Bottlenose Dolphin
14
Humpback Whale
7
12
Killer Whale
10-12
Ocean Sunfish
1
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