27th October, 2002 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.
Departed: 08:10 returned at approx. 16:30.
Sea conditions: S 2.0 to 3.0m offshore.
Swell: S 2.0 to 3.0m offshore.
Weather: Overcast at first but clearing to mostly sunny.
Temperature range: 15.5 to 22.0°C.
Barometric pressure: 1020 HPa rising.
Wind: S 10 to 15kts at first, increasing to later 20 to 25kts.
Sea surface temperature: 15.2 to 19.2°C.
Primary chumming location: 34° 36'S; 151° 10'E
Summary:
The sequence of trips affected by adverse weather conditions continued! A
low-pressure system remained in the Tasman Sea but the high-pressure system
in the Great Australian Bight had moved east overnight causing the
southerly winds to ease somewhat. Daylight saving time came into force
during the night so we were not totally surprised when a party of 12
overseas visitors did not appear at 07:00. By 08:15 they had still not
appeared allowing a couple of lucky standby observers to join us. Our
depleted but hardy contingent donned their waterproof gear and gripped the
rails tightly?YET AGAIN!
Bemoaning our run of bad luck with the weather I was totally unprepared for
the surprises in store for us later in the day.
We beat our now familiar southerly course into heavy seas that saw us
edging out towards the continental slope. Good numbers of shearwaters were
present inshore and good views were obtained of all the species present,
although numbers were much lower than the previous day. Several Arctic
Jaegers did a fine job in discouraging the Silver Gulls from following the
boat. We were soon joined by a Black-browed and a White-capped Albatross,
which set the tone for the day with seasonally good numbers of albatross in
view all day.
Although the sea was heavy, the conditions were not unduly rough and after
2 hours of punching into the sea we reached the 70-fathom mark. A Cattle
Egret had been observed high above us flying in from the east, presumably
crossing from New Zealand. A Pomarine Jaeger and a Wilson's Storm-Petrel
had been observed and the cohort of albatross following the boat now
included a Shy and an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross. Similar to the
preceding day's trip, Australian Pelicans followed the boat until about the
60-fathom mark.
As we slowly reached deeper water bird numbers declined dramatically and by
80 fathoms only an occasional Wilson's Storm-Petrel or Crested Tern were to
be seen. As we neared the edge of the Continental Shelf the first
Solander's Petrels came into view. This was something of a milestone
because bad weather had prevented us from seeing any pterodroma petrels on
the previous 2 trips.
At the 100 fathom line the shout of 'Storm-Petrels ahead!' was heard from
the upper deck. I risked a drenching and leaned over the side of the boat
to look ahead; in the middle of a group of 20 or so Wilson's Storm petrels
was a GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL. To our favourite cry of 'stop the boat!' I
ran to the stern and began berleying in earnest. We had left the
storm-petrels astern over the berley and as we turned with the sea to
return to the birds a very dark petrel was observed flying towards the fish
oil slick. As the bird flew directly towards us the pale face and dark
body led to suggestions of Great-winged Petrel but in comparison to the
Solander's Petrels the bird was significantly smaller and proportionately
much longer winged. The overall plumage was uniformly sooty
blackish-brown, much darker than that of a Great-winged Petrel, and the
underwings lacked any pale areas. The bird alighted on the water amidst
the storm-petrels and the excitement of the GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL was
lost as I recognized the unmistakable proportions of JOUANIN'S PETREL.
This observation was so unexpected on the East Coast of Australia that many
on board were not immediately excited because the species isn't in the
Australian Field Guides!! After feeding briefly the bird took to the wing
and flew across our stern and continued south. Good views were obtained as
the bird passed the boat, the long tapering tail, long wings and slight
build consistently reminiscent of a Wedge-tailed Shearwater but with a
compact head and stubby black petrel bill held downwards. The bird was in
fresh plumage and therefore presumed to be a juvenile.
A constant stream of Wilson's Storm-Petrels were migrating along the edge
of the continental shelf so we elected to remain at this location because
we were convinced further rarities would appear in their midst. Despite
checking the many hundred's of storm-petrels only White-faced Storm-Petrels
were found moving with the Wilson's. Petrel numbers were fairly low and
included a couple of different Great-winged Petrels. Several LONG-TAILED
JAEGERS joined the flock feeding behind the boat.
After an hour or so a juvenile SALVIN'S ALBATROSS was apparent amidst the
White-capped Albatross behind the boat. This bird is rarely recorded from
Wollongong although more common further south in NSW. To our amazement 2
more first year SALVIN'S ALBATROSS appeared. The three birds stayed close
together amidst the White-capped and single Shy Albatross
kleptoparasitising these birds in a concerted fashion. Having stolen a
prize they landed on the water and formed a huddle, seemingly for mutual
protection while consuming their booty.
The return cruise was much more comfortable but apart from additional
SALVIN"S ALBATROSS was relatively uneventful.
Highlights:
An extraordinary trip! Lots of bruises from the rough conditions but such
excitement. The very large numbers of migrating storm-petrels reminded us
that it was spring in spite of the cold southerly conditions. A
GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL amidst the many hundreds of Wilson's Storm-Petrels
migrating south added to the wintry feel. While albatross numbers were
high for the season, SALVIN'S ALBATROSS has never been recorded in groups
off Wollongong previously, because it is very rarely seen in these waters.
The observation of JOUANIN'S PETREL provides the kind of thrill that keeps
us venturing onto the same patch of ocean year after year and causes one to
forget the lumpiness of the ocean on the day.
Birds recorded according to the latest Environment Australia Reporting
Schedule:
Species code: Species name: Numbers:
(Note: numbers in parenthesis = highest count at any one time)
005 Little Penguin Eudyptula minor 1
075 Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma m. gouldi 4 (2)
971 Solander's Petrel P. solandri 12 (6)
000 JOUANIN'S PETREL Bulweria fallax 1
068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 200+ (100+)
913 Hutton's Shearwater P. huttoni 4 (1)
069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater P. pacificus 60+ (25+)
070 Sooty Shearwater P. griseus 1
071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 320+ (150+)
072 Flesh-footed Shearwater P. carneipes 3 (2)
088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 7 (4)
859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 2 (1)
091 Shy Albatross T. cauta 1
861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 18 (12)
862 SALVIN'S ALBATROSS T. salvini 6 (3)
864 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 12 (7)
063 Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus 1000+ (500+)
064 GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL Nereis garrodia 1
065 White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina 23 (23)
104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 23 (11)
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 2 (2)
980 Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi 3 (3)
128 Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus 5 (3)
933 LONG-TAILED JAEGER S. longicauda 3 (2)
945 Pomarine Jaeger S. pomarinus 7 (6)
981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 10 (6)
125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 120+ (65+)
114 White-fronted Tern Sterna striata 4 (4)
115 Crested Tern S. bergii 19 (14)
In the harbour:
096 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1
097 Little Black Cormorant P. sulcirostris 4
099 Pied Cormorant P. varius 1
100 Little Pied Cormorant P. melanoleucos 1
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 6
115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 1
29 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater.
Mammals:
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 2 (2)
Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 6 (6)
Future Trips:
All Pelagic Trips from NSW are operated at no profit to the organisers
being operated as group boat charters for the benefit of all who wish
to join us. If you would like to join one of these trips please contact us
as below:
To make a booking on the SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic Trips that depart on the
4th Saturday of each month contact:
SOSSA: Phone 02 4271 6004.
Email:
Carl Loves Phone: 0427 423 500
Pete Milburn: Mobile 0428 249 506, 02 6255 1313 (AH) or 02 6125 4173 (BH)
To make a booking for Sydney Pelagics,
which depart on the 2nd Saturday of each month contact
Tony Palliser Ph; 02-99001678 (w), 02-94115272 (h)
http://www.zip.com.au/~palliser
To make a booking for Eden Pelagics which are run on the 5th
Sunday of each month it occurs.
Barbara Jones or Ph (02) 6495 7390
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Note: SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association
Dr P.J. Milburn
Biomolecular Resource Facility
Australian National University
GPO Box 334
Canberra
ACT 0200
+61 2 6125 4173 'Phone
+61 2 6125 4326 FAX
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