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Trip report BOCA Eaglehawk Neck Tas pelagic inc Euro. SP and Great Shear

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Subject: Trip report BOCA Eaglehawk Neck Tas pelagic inc Euro. SP and Great Shear.
From: Rohan Clarke <>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:38:24 +1100
Hi All,
The Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BOCA) pelagic got out off Eaglehawk Neck on the weekend. The trip was one of the better trips I have done (see below). Next scheduled trips are for September 18th and November 26th and 27th 2010. Both trips are at present fully booked but contact me if you wish to be on the waitlist for either trip.
Cheers,
Rohan Clarke

BOCA PELAGIC TRIP OFF EAGLEHAWK NECK, TASMANIA
Sunday 20th Feb 2010

OBSERVERS: Sue Abbott, Geoff Bromfield, Heyn de Cock, Xenia Dennett, Dick Jenkins, Michael Kearns, Chris Lester, Rosemary Lester, Gary Oliver, Andrew Walter, Brook Whylie, John Young & Rohan Clarke (organiser and report compiler).

WEATHER: 10% cloud in the am meant largely blue skies, though cloud increased as the front passed through mid morning. Owing to wind driven spray, conditions for photography were average to poor. Reasonably warm in the morning thanks to a north westerly air stream, even after the front passed it remained warm (well at least not cold) until just before we docked. A SW change pushed through at about 1000 bringing persistent wind and squalls to gale force. Initially a 15 knot north westerly wind, swinging SW in the 25-30 knot range around 1000 and then building to 30-35 knots and gusting to 35-40 knots at times. This was the windiest one day pelagic I have ever done but certainly not the roughest.

SEA: A fairly low sea (0.5 m) on a 1.5- 2 m swell. As the sea followed us on the way out it was a reasonably gentle ride out. Once the SW change reached us sea conditions rapidly deteriorated with a 1.5m chop building fairly quickly. As the wind direction changed with the arrival of the front, the swell height did not alter much and rather slowly worked its way around to the SW through the day. There was quite a bit of spray when underway and occasional wind-whipped blasts of spray when berleying. The return leg was shaping up to be quite unpleasant but we turned in early and took it slow and steady and as a consequence it wasn?t as physically a demanding trip as some. One seasick.

ACTIVITY: Departed Pirates Bay Wharf at 0720 EST. Headed down to the Hippolytes, which we circumnavigated before taking an easterly route directly to the shelf break. Good numbers of birds on the way out with concentrations of albatross and shearwaters in the 70-90 fathom zone. Crossed the shelf break (100 fathoms) at 0930 before making our first stop 3 miles beyond the shelf over 500+ fathoms of water were we berleyed with chicken skin, tuna frames and fish oil. This was an extended berley session that saw us drift a further 3 miles out. Started heading in at around 1100 crossing the shelf again just after midday. A brief berley stop in worsening conditions in offshore waters for the day?s highlights (see below) before continuing on with our slow trip back to Pirates Bay. Docked just after 1500.

MAMMALS: Australian Fur Seals perhaps 120 on the Hippolytes. Also 25 inshore and 10 offshore in the AM.

BIRDS: 27 species of seabird beyond the point at Pirates Bay is a high count for a Tasmanian pelagic (but then we had this same number of species in Feb 2010). Highlights were European Storm-Petrel, Great Shearwater, Little Shearwater, Buller's Shearwater, Gould?s and Soft-plumaged Petrels.

Wandering Albatross: 10 (8) Good numbers built slowly through the day so that we had our highest count at the offshore berley point. All appeared to be gibsoni.

Black-browed Albatross: 4 (2). 1 adult and 1 juv inshore in the AM, 1 smart looking adult in pelagic waters that followed us back into offshore waters and one scruffy older immature in waters. All were the nominate subspecies.

Shy Albatross: 100 (60). cauta: 8 inshore, 10 offshore, remainder pelagic with good numbers following us back inshore on the return leg. All adult. salvini: 2 older immature birds, both pelagic.

Yellow-nosed Albatross: 16 (4). 2 inshore, 4 offshore, remainder pelagic. 1 sub-adult, remainder adults.

Buller?s Albatross: 20 (6). 5 pelagic, 5 inshore remainder offshore. All adults.

EUROPEAN STORM-PETREL: 1 in offshore waters whilst berleying for the Great Shearwater in the PM. On approach this bird was called as a Wilson?s Storm-Petrel and it was then (understandably) ignored given the shearwater had been seen just a minute or so earlier. As the bird passed through the berley trail the white longitudinal underwing streak was bought to our attention allowing just enough time for some to note other important characters (size, structure, absence of pale carpal bars) as it headed off into the 30+ knot wind. Although most on board saw the bird, which was the only black and white storm-petrel for the day, for all involved these were quite poor views of what is a mega-rarity. Pending BARC assessment this is the first record for Australia.

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel: 10 (4). 4 pelagic, remainder at our short berley stop in offshore waters in the PM.

White-faced Storm-Petrel: 17 (10). 5 offshore, remainder pelagic.

Fairy Prion: 8 (4).  All offshore in the PM.

Short-tailed Shearwater: 5000 (1000). Mostly offshore, a few inshore and 40 pelagic.

Sooty Shearwater: 8 (2). 2 offshore, remainder pelagic.

Fluttering Shearwater: 2 (1). 2 definite in offshore waters, 4-5 further ?Fluttons? type birds (ie. either Huttons or Fluttering but not seen well enough to ID).

BULLERS SHEARWATER: 3 (1) Several close approaches in pelagic waters. 1 in offshore waters in the PM.

GREAT SHEARWATER: A single bird with worn plumage seen by most and photographed by several in offshore waters on the return leg. It approached the vessel but never came right in and never responded to berley. The first record for Tasmania and about the 6th or 7th record for Australia.

LITTLE SHEARWATER: A dark faced bird of the Sub-Antarctic form in offshore waters in the AM seen well by most as it overtook the vessel.

White-chinned Petrel: 65 (30). Mostly pelagic but at least 15 followed us back into offshore waters and 5 followed us into inshore waters.

Great-winged Petrel: 25 (10). All gouldi. On the way out we had our first over 90 fathoms of water with the remainder pelagic. A few followed us back into offshore waters.

GOULD?S PETREL: 1. A single flyby at the pelagic berley stop.

SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL: 1 at brief offshore berley point in the PM. This was a very distant bird seen (and photographed) by just a few.

Common Diving-Petrel: 1 flashed by near the Hippolytes in the AM.

Little Penguin: 1 inshore in the PM.

Australasian Gannet: 50 (20), 1 pelagic, 2 offshore, remainder inshore. Also 300+ on and around the Hippolytes.

Black-faced Cormorant: 8 inshore in the AM, 4 offshore in the pm and ~650 on and around the Hippolytes.

Crested Tern: 14 (10). Mostly inshore, but 2 offshore. Also 35 on the Hippolytes in the AM.

Pacific Gull: 2 inshore in the AM.

Kelp Gull: 13 inshore in the AM. Also about 50 on and around the Hippolytes

Silver Gull: 16 inshore and about 20 around the Hippolytes.

A Swamp Harrier over the Hippolytes in the AM rounds out the list.

Cheers,
Rohan Clarke

--
Rohan Clarke
www.wildlifeimages.com.au

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