Portland Vic Pelagic Trip Report 16 March 2003
Observers: Rob Farnes (organiser) Peter Barrand, Ivor Graney, Maureen
Christie, John Cox, Colin Rogers, Ian Ashton, Kevin Wight, Murray Grant,
Adam Rigg, Lee Milway, Steve Clark. Captain (Richard (Dick) Smith and one
crew in the Gerald John a brand new Charter vessel on its inaugural voyage.
Weather: Slight swell inshore, fairly calm at the shelf, wind picked up late
afternoon to 5-8 knots.
Activity:
Sailed at 0710 h staying close to the coastline until we cleared Cape
Nelson, we then motored SW at 15 knots reaching the shelf at 0915 h. 21 N.M.
off Cape Bridgewater
Lat 380 32' 24" Long. 1410 10' 09". Very few birds were encountered so we
cruised further west to rendezvous (by prior arrangement) with two trawlers
as they hauled in their nets. Most birds seen for the day were here
(approx. 200 albatrosses were feeding on dead fish in the wake of the
trawlers) so we cruised up and down the trawl line stopping to burley. 1420
h we started back circumnavigating Lawrence Rocks (LR) on the way and
docking (very late) at 1700 h.
Bird numbers and species were well down on expectations with 19 sps recorded
outside Portland Harbour.
BIRDS:
Great-winged Petrel two7kms before the shelf, small numbers over the shelf
up to six at one stop.
Fairy Prion 1 offshore, 3 pelagic.
Flesh-footed Shearwater small numbers all pelagic up to five at one stop.
Short-tailed Shearwater small numbers mainly offshore.
Fluttering Shearwater 3 offshore.
Fluttering/Hutton's 4 pelagic.
Wandering Albatross 1 stage 6 & 1 juv.
Royal Albatross 1 young southern royal (epomophora).
Black-browed Albatross at least 4 offshore, 50 pelagic both melanophris and
impavida.
Shy Albatross 2 offshore, 80 pelagic and 1 race salvini.
Yellow-nosed Albatross 12 offshore, 50 pelagic.
White-faced Storm-Petrel 2 offshore, at least 12 pelagic.
Australasian Gannet: 1,000's at LR & Pt. Danger, 2 Ads & 1 Imm pelagic.
Black-faced Cormorant: approx. 60 LR.
White-faced Heron: 1 LR.
White-bellied Sea-Eagle: two imm. LR.
Sooty Oystercatcher: 1 LR.
Arctic Jaeger 1 offshore.
Silver Gull small flocks inshore.
Crested Tern 400 roosting on LR, small number offshore & pelagic.
MAMMALS: Several Australian Fur Seals and two distant whale sightings (may
have been Blue Whales vertical spout).
Rob Farnes rfarnes @datafast.net.au (03)55271650.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
