PORT FAIRY (PF),
VIC, PENBOCA PELAGIC TRIP REPORT, 25 MAY 2003
OBSERVERS: Tania
Ireton (organiser for PENBOCA), David Ap-Thomas, Peter & Betty Baitz, Alex
Farias, Audrey Goldberg, Paul Hackett, Brian Johnston, Bill Ramsay, Jacqui
Sheppard, Charles Smith & Mike Carter (leader & reporter).
WEATHER: A ridging
anticyclone was centred over western Bass Strait. Patchy cloud cover but mostly
sunny, therefore bright with excellent visibility. Cool to cold. SW wind of 5
knots inshore at first rising to 12 knots in the afternoon.
SEA: Slight on a
low SW swell. So a relatively comfortable ride with just a little spray. The
leader rode on the bow coming in from LJPI. One person very seasick all day and
another apparently affected by an overdose of anti-motion sickness
tablets.
ACTIVITY: Sailed at
07.25 EST. Headed out on a COG of 204º at 12.5 Kts. Close inshore, there were
good numbers of Fluttering Shearwaters then almost no birds until 18 Nm out, at
depths between 35 & 40 fathoms, when there was a concentration of Prions,
Gannets and Albatrosses (mainly Yellow-nosed). We crossed the shelf break (100
fathoms = 180m) at 10.00 and continued into deeper water eventually out to 390
fathoms. Between 10.15 and 13.30 we
stopped and berleyed with shark liver at four locations within 5 km of 38º49’S
141º54’E. Initially, bird numbers here were also low, the first to assemble were
the Storm-Petrels, the larger birds appearing somewhat lethargic. Coming in, heading due north @ 13.5 Kts,
we again passed through large congregations of Prions in offshore waters. We
cruised off the western and northern shores of Lady Julia Percy Island (LJPI)
from 15.15 to 15.40. Docked at 16.40.
MAMMALS: 1,000’s of
Australian Fur Seals were at LJPI and perhaps 5 at sea.
BIRDS: 21
species of seabird beyond the river mouth indicated fair diversity and while
most were in fairly low numbers, two species, Fairy Prion and Fluttering
Shearwater, were abundant. Storm-Petrels were much in evidence beyond the
shelf-break (i.e. pelagic). Highlights are in capitals. Unless noted otherwise,
those listed below were near or beyond the shelf break.
Little
Penguin: 7. 2 on LJPI & 5 from there to
PF.
N. Giant Petrel: 3
(3). All to within a few m. ID confidence levels were 100%, 95%
& 55%! The latter initially thought to
be a S.
Cape Petrel:
1.
{Great-winged Petrel: Notable by there
absence.}
ANTARCTIC PRION: 3
(1). Good views of all showing undertail & head
patterns.
SLENDER-BILLED
PRION: 2 (2). Excellent views.
FAIRY PRION: c.
1,500, 30 pelagic. Most were offshore in a strip between the
35-40 fathom lines going out and the 50-40
lines coming in. Since these
transects were 15Nm apart there were
probably tens of thousands!
Short-tailed
Shearwater: 4 (2). 3 offshore, 1 inshore.
Fluttering
Shearwater: 300 (200) inshore.
N. ROYAL ALBATROSS:
1.
Black-browed
Albatross: nom. race, 60 (15). 30 off. 50 ads, 8 sub-ads, 2
juv.
impavida, 5 (2). 2 adults, 3 sub-ads.
Shy Albatross
cauta: 40 (20). 10 offshore. 30 ads, 8 sub-ads, 2
juvs.
Yellow-nosed
Albatross: 35 (30). 30 offshore. 30 adults, 5 sub-adults.
Wilson’s
Storm-Petrel: 15 (6).
GREY-BACKED
STORM-PETREL: 15 (8).
Australasian
Gannet: c.200 (50). 100 inshore, 100 offshore.
Black-faced
Cormorant: 1 ad. on LJPI.
Great Skua:
1.
Kelp Gull: 5 on
LJPI.
Silver Gull: 125.
25 on LJPI & 70 feeding at sea between there & PF.
Crested Tern: 20
(10). 16 inshore, 3 offshore & 1 pelagic.
White-fronted Tern:
4. 2 ads. offshore, 2 juvs pelagic.
