This afternoon (16/2/08), David Mitford and I, enjoyed another good
afternoon's sea watching from Magic Pt in Maroubra (approx. 10km south of
the Sydney CBD). Winds were mainly moderate southerly-easterly breezes with
fairly choppy in shore waters but calming down towards the evening.
The main highlights were another close in BULLER'S SHEARWATER amongst
thousands of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, a hundred or so Long-tailed Jaegers
and 21 Flesh-footed Shearwaters.
Long-tailed Jaegers were again in high numbers on this occasion giving us
the impression that they are the most numerous of all three species in the
month of February. They were seen as either singles, in smaller groups of
about 4 birds to larger groups of up to at least 30 birds in a single flock.
Many were quite close in and scattered amongst the feeding frenzy of
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. I also saw one Long-tailed Jaeger attempt to
pirate a Wedge-tailed Shearwater. This is only the second time I have
observed this species to pirate another species as they don't do so as often
as the other 2 species of Jaeger (I did see a Long-tailed in February last
year attempt to pirate a Crested Tern. We had about 80 Long-tailed Jaegers
on that occasion on the 25/2/07).
Sea bird species recorded this afternoon (time 1530 to 1900 approx) from
Magic Pt Maroubra and approximate numbers were as follows:
Fairy Penguin (heard)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (2,000 plus)
BULLER'S SHEARWATER (1)
Flesh-footed Shearwater (21)
Short-tailed Shearwater (29)
Fluttering Shearwater (30)
Australasian Gannet (10)
Little Pied Cormorant (1)
Little Black Cormorant (3)
Great Cormorant (2)
Arctic Jaeger (2)
Pomarine Jaeger (10)
Long-tailed Jaeger (100)
Silver Gull (300)
Crested Tern (40)
Mammals recorded:
None
Edwin
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
=============================
|
