birding-aus

Southport (Qld) trial pelagic, 5th Jan. longish.

To: "Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Southport (Qld) trial pelagic, 5th Jan. longish.
From: "Paul Walbridge" <>
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 20:45:00 +1000
Hi Birding-aussers, after over a year we finally are up and running again. This was a trial run to test the suitability of the vessel (Spirit of Paradise) re; comfort, speed, etc. The vessel is a 10 metre Cougarcat, looks smallish but handles well and sits flat when stationary. The skipper also shuts the motors down, enabling the birds to come very close - something Sea World never did.
 
Fast, up to 24-25 knots in good conditions enabling us to get into Slope waters much sooner than before. Reasonable cover outside, with nice sized cabin with seating for 5-6 adults inside.
 
We traveled out to about 55 kilometres east of Southport in calm seas with up to 1.5 metre swell. 8 pax. on board with only 1 getting sick mainly due to buffeting at high speed (24 knots). Very little activity out wide with most birds associated with baitfish activity closer in on the Shelf on the way back in.
 
Verdict; although a very poor day bird-wise, the boat passed with flying colours. It will be interesting though to see how it handles heavier conditions, of course we will slow down accordingly to accomodate more adverse seas. However, the extra speed could prove very useful when things get a bit quiet and we need to go hunting for possible feeding flocks.
 
The Birds
 
Tahiti Petrel  -  3 (1)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater  -  78 (20)
Flesh-footed Shearwater  -  13 (6)
Hutton's Shearwater  -  4 (4)
Pomarine Jaeger  -  7 (2)
Crested Tern  -  42 (20)
Sooty Tern  -  8 (5)
 
I'm happy enough with the boat and have booked it for the rest of the year, with the projected dates listed below. On occasions when there is increased bird activity, possibility of adding extra trips, also on postponement of a trip, choice of re-scheduling.
 
Over the next week or so the skipper will work out the costs and I will post this onto Birding-aus along with venue location, starting times etc.
 
Jan 19th
Feb 16th
Mar 16th
Apr 20th
May 18th
Jun 15th
Jul 20th
Aug 17th
Sep 21st
Oct 19th
Nov 16th
Dec 21st
 
Remember, this is a SOSSA sanctioned non-profit excursion and carried out for research purposes, data collected is made available to various organisations. Bookings should be made by e-mail to:
 
Or by phone; (H) 07 3391 8839
                    (W) 07 3350 8258
When dialling international add 61 7 to the 8 digit number.
 
Cheers & I hope to see some of you in the near future, not all of our pelagics are as boring as last Saturdays', so please don't be put off, hopefully my report wasn't too boring either - Paul Walbridge.
 
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • Southport (Qld) trial pelagic, 5th Jan. longish., Paul Walbridge <=
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU