|
It took me about two weeks to recover from
my big road trip and then another week to get over the Magpies heart
rending loss to those no good Brisbane Lions. I really thought we had a chance.
But what do I know, I really thought I had a shot at reaching 700. A quick
recalculation on returning from the Tassie pelagic had me thinking at absolute
best I could now only get to 699.
During this time I only went birding twice- to
Seaford Swamp and on a Port Fairy Boat trip. It was good to get back to the old
swampy stomping ground, and though I didn't add anything for the year, there
were signs that it could be a good Summer with the first waders in, mainly
Sharpies, but also a Marsh Sandpiper- not too common here- and I also
managed to flush an Australasian Bittern, a bird that has usually moved off by
now..
Before the Port Fairy boat trip we tried for the
Eastern Grass Owl that had turned up nearby- quite a big find in Victoria-
but sadly, no luck. The boat trip itself, though clocking up a good array
of species seemed to lack the sparkle of previous trips. This was my
thirteenth pelagic this year and the first where I'd failed to add anything
new. Just shows how spoilt I've been getting when Royal Albatross,
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel and White-chinned Petrel can't seem to get the
twitching juices flowing.
After three weeks without an addition I was
starting to get twitchy. The cure- Lord Howe Island. I was about to book my
flight when I noticed on Birding-aus that a vacancy had arisen on the
Newcastle pelagic. A hasty reschedule saw me lining up at the Swansea dock
on Sunday the 13th hoping to pick up at least one East Coast species
I'd missed out on last Summer.
I asked a fellow passenger whether I needed
wet weather gear. He started to rave about the catering on board, and what
a great boat it was.
"But will I need wet weather gear?"
"Oh no. Its a really comfortable boat. I've never
got wet once."
So I put the plastic plants and anorak away and
boarded the boat. The bloke I spoke to immediately went up to the sheltered fly
deck and stayed up there all day. And true, he never got wet.
Me, well, that was a different story.The Newcastle
boat is no hulking old tub, but a zippy cabin cruiser used for big game
fishing. It goes like the clappers which is great for getting out thirty
kilometres beyond the shelf. The downside is, there isn't a lot of room for
observing and if you want any chance of seeing a bird whilst under steam you
have to stand right at the back which means you will get wet- very
wet.
But it was worth it. This proved to be one of
the ripsnorter trips of the year. For starters, amongst a big flock of
Wedgies offshore was a single Buller's Shearwater the first one
that I'd heard of in Australian waters this year. An unexpected tick,
and a stunning bird to boot.
Bonus bird number two came way beyond the
shelf when a Black-bellied Storm-Petrel flew in to check
out what goodies were floating on the slick we were laying. It was soon
joined by a few mates as well as heaps of Wilson's and a single White-faced
Storm-Petrel. Then another came in closer and I said to Phil Hansbro, "This
Black-bellied's got a white belly". I still thought it was a
Black-bellied as I could see its feet projecting beyond the tail.
But Phil pointed out that this bird's feet were only barely projecting
whereas the other birds feet were clearly sticking a long way
out. As far as I know, the identity of this bird is still not resolved
as some texts say that White-bellied's feet never project beyond the
tail, whilst others suggest that sometime there may be a slight foot
projection. I decided that until that issued was definitively resolved I
wouldn't tick it, the agony of this decision somewhat lessened because
I was planning to see White-bellied at Lord Howe. But it would be great to have
got this species in continental waters.
Well satisfied, and completely knackered from the
thirteen hour drive the day before, I retired to the cabin as the boat headed
back in. Pretty soon I was roused from any slumber with the cry "Cook's Petrel!"
They had got great views of one the day before, but sadly this one sped beyond
the horizon before I could get onto it. It never returned. Back in the cabin, I
had just shut my eyes again when Phil's cry of "Gould's Petrel" got me jumping.
Again I couldn't get onto the bird. And
predictably, once I had retired again, another Gould's was sighted. This time I
managed to get onto it, and though I only had a proper view of the underside, I
saw enough to rule out any other possible species and so, Gould's Petrel
was added to the list.
Three new birds, all of which I had written
off for the year. The total now stood at 614- the 700 was a chance once
again! Game on.
| 