Albatrosses on the south coast

[Bob Rusk <>]

Hi Erica

 I've observed that Albatrosses settle down in small groups (usually of the same type) for the night from around 3pm to nightfall at app 3-4 klms off shore, that's the ones you can see anyway.  Gannets do the same but in larger numbers although I've seen Albatrosses in sizable groups of 20 or more dotted all over, far offshore. The Gannets visually look like brilliant white ducks, with their shorter necks, when sitting on the water when the sun is behind you.  The Albatross because of its thick neck,and the black wings which you can't see at that distance, looks L shaped or like an old white wellington boot sitting on the surface.
There are 2 Albatrosses that are common around the south coast and with a bit of study are easy to roughly distinguish.  This being with  the Black-Browed , a heavy black margin-ed under wing and the Shy (type) which has a much narrower under wing margin which can be seen when closer to shore.
Bob

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From: Erika Roper <>
To: canberrabirds <>
Sent: Wednesday, 18 April 2012 5:43 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Albatrosses on the south coast

Last weekend obese down near Narooma (Mystery Bay to be exact). My mother and I went for a walk through the Eurobodalla NP to get to Poole's Beach (the first one you come to) and we may have seen some albatrosses.

There were about 7 or so of them sitting on the surface of the ocean, a little ways off shore. The reason I think they were albatrosses, and definitely not gulls is that they were huge. Easily viewable as white blobs from the top of the cliff, though too far for photos. The photos I did get are super zoomed in and pixellated, but they show the posture of the birds. Once I'm back home with ky computer on the weekend I'll try to post a picture if people so desire.

I just wanted to ask to see if albatroses often float near the shore.

Also flying past was a creasted tern, and a gannet.