g'Day all
Since Wednesday, near storm force westerly winds have been blowing
across St Helens. Here in Tasmania at this time of year, with the
"Roaring Forties" prevailing, it is a good time to be watching sea birds
from land and so this morning for an hour, from a small promontory east
of here, that is just what we decided to do.
From Grant's Point, 10 km from town we could see a myriad of
Short-tailed Shearwaters; vast flocks comprising tens of thousands of
birds forming vast dusky shimmers appearing like smoke drifting south
across the horizon. Also scattered about the ocean were good numbers of
Albatross; mainly Shy and Black-browed Albatross with an occasional
Yellow-nosed Albatross passing by too.
And closer in shore there were the usual flypast of Gannets, Gulls,
Cormorants and Terns but of greatest surprise was to observe several Shy
Albatross descending like hang gliders from high altitude (estimated 600
- 800 feet above sea level). They were using what appeared to be
coastal air thermals, approaching land still several hundred feet above
the water and when almost above the cliffs wheeling to north while
skimming down to wave height.
An interesting hour of pelagics from land.
Regards
Ian May
PO Box 110
St Helens Tasmania 7216
Phone (03) 63121123
Mob 0428337956
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