SUMMARY: An
enjoyable, comfortable trip with a good variety of interesting and photogenic
birds but no great highlight.
OBSERVERS: Chris
Lester (organiser), George Appleby, David Burren, Rohan Clarke, Euan Fothergill,
Annette Hatton, Rosemary Lester, Frank Pierce, Adam Rigg, Charles Smith, Dave
Torr, Geoff Walker & Mike Carter (leader).
WEATHER: An
extensive high-pressure ridge extended from the Bight to well south of Tasmania,
i.e. just to our west. This produced a SE breeze of 5 Kts inshore early a.m.,
which freshened offshore to around 10 Kts beyond the shelf then eased again to 5
Kts as we came in. The afternoon sea breeze boosted wind speeds inshore after we
left LJPI. Light and visibility was fair to good. It was mild and a little
humid. Generally overcast with thin patchy cloud but with some sunny
periods.
SEA: Generally
slight (< 0.5 m) on a low (0.5-1.0 m) SW swell but when offshore and in
pelagic waters, a little lumpy at times with seas to 1.0 m. So it was a
pleasant ride with little spray and no one was sick.
ACTIVITY: Sailed
from Port Fairy (38º23’18”S 142º14’30”E) at 07.05. The sun didn’t rise until
07.35 so it was dark or dull for the first hour. We went out on our usual
course of 203º at 13.2 Kts. Our journey to the shelf slope was virtually
uninterrupted. Just a few birds and Common Dolphins were seen with a small
concentration of White-faced Storm-Petrels about 24 Nm from PF where the seabed
drops fairly steeply, depth there increasing from 35-50 fathoms. We crossed the
shelf break at 09.30 (29.5 Nm from PF) after passing over a plateau 3-4 Nm wide
where the depth varies up and down between 90-104 fathoms. We reached our first
berley location at 09.35 at a depth of 253 fathoms at 38º44.3’S 141º53.3’E.
Almost immediately our shark-liver and small fish berley started to attract a
variety of birds. After an hour we moved to deeper water, 600 fathoms at
38º52.4’S 141º48.8’E, and berleyed there from 11.05 to 12.00. From 12.15 to
12.55 we berleyed at 38º49.4’S 141º51.0’E where the depth is 146 fathoms.
Enroute back to PF we cruised the western and northern shores of Lady Julia
Percy Island (LJPI). Docked at 16.10.
MAMMALS:
Common Dolphins: At least five
encounters with pods numbering up to 30, two in inshore waters, one offshore and
two pelagic. All before noon. Conditions for sighting cetaceans were good so the
absence of whales was disappointing.
Australian Fur
Seals: Only 3-4 singles away from LJPI where there were thousands.
BIRDS: 24 species
(27 taxa) of seabird observed beyond the river mouth indicated above average
diversity. Unless noted otherwise, those listed below were near or beyond the
shelf break (i.e. pelagic). Highlights are in capitals.
Little Penguin: 5
ashore @ LJPI & 1 dead
offshore.
N. Giant Petrel:
1.
Great-winged
Petrel: 9 (3). 7 were nominate race, 2 gouldi.
Fairy Prion: 14
(4). 3 inshore, 9 offshore & 2 pelagic.
Flesh-footed
Shearwater: 250 (200). 2 offshore, remainder pelagic.
Sooty Shearwater: 3
(2).
Short-tailed
Shearwater: 80 (30). 5 inshore, 25 offshore & 50 pelagic.
[Fluttering
Shearwater: 8 (5) inshore seen in poor light assumed to be this
species.]
HUTTON’S
SHEARWATER: 5+[9] (1). As we came in 5 single birds seen from and
crossing the bow heading west in the outer
inshore zone were definitely this
species. I think it likely that 7 offshore
& 2 pelagic were also this species.
N. ROYAL ALBATROSS:
1 juv. with little black on the tomia caused some confusion
even at 5 m!
Black-browed
Albatross: 54. Melanophrys: 4 (2) 2 inshore. 1 juv. & 3
sub-adults.
Impavida: 50 (30). 5 sub-adults & 45 adults.
Shy Albatross
cauta: 16 (8). 2 inshore, 2 off & 12 pelagic. 2 sub-adults & 14
adults.
SALVIN’S ALBATROSS
(Salvini): 1 pristine adult.
Yellow-nosed
Albatross: 5 (2) adults. 1 inshore, 1 off & 3 pelagic.
BULLER’S ALBATROSS:
3 (2) adults.
Wilson’s
Storm-Petrel: 2.
White-faced
Storm-Petrel: 65 (10). 1 inshore, 50 offshore & 14
pelagic.
Australasian
Gannet: 120 (15). 80 inshore, 25 off & 15 pelagic, incl. 3
juvs.
Black-faced
Cormorant: 4. 3 on LJPI & 1 inshore
GREAT (BROWN) SKUA:
1, an early date.
POMARINE JAEGER:
1.
Arctic Jaeger: 5
(3). 1 inshore & 4 pelagic.
Kelp Gull: 21, all
ages, on LJPI.
Silver Gull: 80, 53
on LJPI & 27 inshore.
Crested Tern: 28,
11 inshore, 5 offshore & 3 pelagic.
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mt
Eliza VIC 3930
Ph: (03) 9787
7136
Email:
