hi John,
thanks for the great reports from off Albany...& the terrific images taken
too...
I would have killed to see that many Black-bellied Stormies & Little
Shearwaters too!!
maybe next May for me...
cheers,
martin cachard,
cairns 0428 782 808
> From:
> To: ;
> Date: Sat, 17 May 2014 21:54:13 +0800
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Albany Pelagic Trip Report - 4th May 2014
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've also finished the report for the
> Albany Pelagic trip run on the 4th May this year. This report with photos
> is viewable online at
> http://wabirdingblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/albany-pelagic-trip-4-may-2014.html
> but again I include the text-only version below.
>
> Highlights
> included more Black-bellied Storm-Petrel, two more
> South Polar Skua, a dark intermediate Soft-plumaged Petrel, and three Arctic
> Terns
>
> Cheers,
> John
>
> Participants: Alan Collins (Organiser), John Graff (Organiser), John Bailey,
> Stewart Ford, Nigel Jackett, John Litherland, Wayne Merritt, David Mitford,
> Bernard O’Keefe, Stuart Pickering, Jon Pridham, Colin Reid, Bev Thiele,
> Nathan Waugh, John Weigel, Gavin White
>
> Conditions: Conditions were forecast to be flatter than the Saturday trip,
> with seas of 1m, and a swell of 2-3m, easing further during the day. Variable
> light winds (5-10knts) were forecast. Conditions were reasonably close to the
> forecast, making for a relatively flat ride throughout the trip.
>
> Report
> This trip was another excellent trip, following on from the Sunday trip. 13
> tubenose species were recorded, highlighted by more excellent views of
> Black-bellied Storm-Petrels, a dark morph Soft-plumaged Petrel, and large
> numbers of Little Shearwaters. Two South Polar Skuas were also seen on the
> return journey, unfortunately views were again rather brief and distant, and
> several Arctic Terns were seen at the shelf. As on the Saturday trip,
> albatross numbers were notably low.
>
> We left Emu Point a little after 0700. The journey across King George Sound
> was quiet, with the first Flesh-footed Shearwaters not appearing until quite
> close to the heads. Two Brown Skuas were also seen, causing some brief
> excitement in the hope of South Polars. We passed through the heads, but as
> with the previous day there was little activity initially. Both Wilson’s and
> White-faced Storm-Petrel were seen, along with a single Hutton’s Shearwater,
> another Brown Skua, and a Soft-plumaged Petrel (shallower than usual). The
> only albatross seen were singles each of Black-browed, Shy and Indian
> Yellow-nosed, as activity remained low until just before the shelf edge.
> Here, a distant tern was called off the port side; this was probably a
> ‘Commic’ type but before it could come closer, attention was drawn to several
> Little Shearwaters flying along with the boat, allowing better than normal
> views. Several more were seen over the next few minutes, along with a number
> of Hutton’s Shearwater.
>
> We stopped the boat in 600m of water and started to chum. The light winds
> meant birds were slow to arrive, but the Flesh-footed Shearwaters and
> Wilson’s Storm-Petrels started to trickle in. The first major interest came
> when the first Black-bellied Storm-Petrel put in an appearance – though
> numbers appeared to be down compared to Saturday, the species was again
> almost everpresent in the chum slick. A dark or dark intermediate morph
> Soft-plumaged Petrel followed shortly afterwards. Typical pale Soft-plumaged
> Petrels, Great-winged Petrels, and Shy and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross all
> made appearances, but the action was slower than on Saturday in the lighter
> winds. We drifted into 100m of water, so followed the slick out again;
> however, the depth had only reached 150m by the time we reached the deep end
> of the slick. Nonetheless, a short stop here proved worthwhile as an Arctic
> Tern made an appearance. Several more Little Shearwater were also seen, with
> more good views.
>
> At about 1145, we repositioned to the deep edge of a sharp drop-off, in about
> 600m of water, and set up a slick. Once again, bird numbers were slow to
> build, but an Arctic Tern reappeared, followed by a second, then later a
> third. They continued to remain in the slick for an extended period, and made
> several close passes. A few Black-bellied and White-faced Storm-Petrels
> continued to share the slick with numerous Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. A shark,
> thought to be another whaler sp., was also seen around the boat for an
> extended period, but it kept away from the surface. An immature Black-browed
> Albatross added to the tally, and then the call went up for a Wandering
> Albatross. The presence of numerous vermiculations in the plumage, and little
> white in the wings suggested gibsoni or dabbenena. Occasional Little
> Shearwaters continued to pass, and the final interest came when the first
> Cape Petrel of the weekend appeared.
>
> We headed for home at about 1345, and for most of the journey bird activity
> was quiet. A few Little Shearwaters were the main birds of interest. As we
> approached the heads, activity increased again. An Arctic Jaeger passed
> across the bow, and some people also saw a skua at the same time. Closer to
> the heads, two Black-browed Albatross were seen, including an adult. We
> decided to stop briefly to use the last of our chum. We waited for 15
> minutes, but only a young Black-browed Albatross showed any interest, so we
> motored on. However within minutes of setting off, two skuas passed behind
> the boat, heading west. Views were frustratingly distant, but prominent white
> wing flashes and relatively pale body colouration on both birds indicated two
> South Polar Skuas. This was confirmed by some distant photographs. This was
> the last major excitement of the trip, though another Brown Skua and
> (interestingly) two Hutton’s Shearwaters were seen in King George Sound. We
> finally docked at approximately 1645. As always, many thanks go to all the
> participants, and to Tony and Fred from Spinners Charters.
>
> Species List [Total Count (Maximum no. seen at one time)]
> Wandering Albatross [sp] 1 (1) – prob gibsoni/dabbenena
> Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 13 (4)
> Black-browed Albatross 7 (2)
> Shy Albatross 10 (3)
> Cape Petrel 1 (1)
> Great-winged Petrel 30 (4)
> Soft-plumaged Petrel 15 (3) – including 1 dark morph
> Flesh-footed Shearwater 100 (20)
> Hutton’s Shearwater 20 (10)
> Little Shearwater 35 (8)
> Wilson's Storm-Petrel 500 (95)
> Black-bellied Storm-Petrel 20 (3)
> White-faced Storm-Petrel 45 (3)
> Brown Skua 5 (2)
> South Polar Skua 2 (2) – second skua seen travelling with this bird also
> likely a South Polar
> Arctic Jaeger 1 (1)
> Arctic Tern 3 (3)
> Australasian Gannet 12 (5)
>
> Common Bottlenose Dolphin 2 (2)
> Shark [Whaler sp.] 1 (1)
>
>
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