birding-aus

Broome to Christmas Is Pelagic 2010

To: birding-aus <>
Subject: Broome to Christmas Is Pelagic 2010
From: Richard Baxter <>
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:46:33 -0700 (PDT)
Hi birders,


This is a non-profit trip.
 
I've chartered the new expedition yacht Convergence for the first ever birding 
trip from Broome to Christmas Island in 2010. Its an 8 day trip from the 
19-26th Sept 2010.  This is the best time of year as seabirds are numerous, the 
ocean is generally calm and Asian species are migrating south.  These calm 
conditions make for easy seabird and cetacean viewing.
 
Convergence is a brand new purpose built expedition yacht, which is in the 
final phases of fit out and we’ll be amongst its first passengers.  Convergence 
has been
constructed specifically for Southern Ocean and Antarctic science, expedition 
and film work. It has a modular interior design that can be configured to meet 
the needs of the charterer and the fitting of anything from laboratories, cold 
rooms and computer terminals through to a gymnasium if required.  Its not only 
practical but also a comfortable home, with 4 separate cabins with varying bunk 
configurations, ducted heating, aircon, leather recliners, spa and 
indoor-outdoor entertainment systems.  The owner will be fitting additional 
freezer space for this trip.
 
Commencing in Broome, we’ll sail N/W towards Scott Reef and then westward over 
the shelf into the rarely visited deep water near Australia’s EEZ.  I’ve done a 
few Ashmore Reef Pelagic Trips and with time constraints we’ve always gone 
frustratingly close to the edge of the shelf where the Indian Ocean drops 
thousands of feet in depth.  On this trip we’ll travel along our EEZ over 400km 
offshore into very deep water and hopefully some exciting new seabird sightings.
 
The trip will take 7 days and I've added an extra day for burley stops off the 
Australian coast and once we get within 200nm of Christmas Island. We'll be 
slowing down when reach 200nm (370km) from CI.
 
This is the first time this trip has ever been conducted and there's the 
possibility of seeing some very exciting birds. Seabirds should include, 
Bulwer's Petrel, Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, Matsudaira's Storm Petrel, Jouanin's 
Petrel, Tahiti Petrel, Streaked SW and a good variety of terns, booby, 
frigatebirds, tropicbirds etc. Other possibles include Leach's Storm Petrel, 
Tropical Shearwater, Herald Petrel, Barau’s Petrel and of course a huge variety 
of cetaceans.  I'm expecting we'll see 12-15 species of cetaceans.

Perhaps most exciting of all, is the chance of rare migratory Asian species, 
investigating or landing on our boat.
 
By adding an extra day we'll have time to stop and burley when there's a lot of 
bird activity about. This will also be a great opportunity to photograph some 
of these rare seabirds, particularly in the very deep water 50-370km off 
Christmas Island.
 
The trip starts in Broome and finishes on CI. The cost for 8 days is $3700.
There will be 8 birders on board + guide + 3 crew.  Some keen seabirders have 
already grabbed  most spots but there are still a couple of vacancies.
 
If you're interested in coming along let me know.  Should be an awesome trip.
 
Cheers
Richard Baxter


      
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