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Hi Birding-aussers, a summary of saturdays pelagic
trip from Southport, Queensland.
Vessel: 60ft monohull, Skybird III.
Crew: 2
Pax: 15
Weather Conditions:
A High over the Tasman forced moderate E-SE winds
on to the South Queensland coast, producing isolated squally showers early, with
the wind lightening off later in the day to E-NE and conditions clearing.
Maximum temp. 24C, barometric pressure 1020 hPa. Visibilty outside of squalls,
good to excellent.
Sea Conditions:
Seas to 1.5 metres at times, on a light swell. Sea
surface temp. 23C inshore, 24C at Shelf-break & 25C in Slope waters.
Southerly current out wide to 2 knots.
After our disastrous winter with June-August a no
go and September a no wind/no birds day we were due for a change of luck &
some. We were not to be disappointed, in fact one well known Gent from the deep
south finally had a 'monkey' removed from his back (someone
cruelly suggested 'gorilla'). I'm sure that person will have something to
'CROW' about.
On leaving the Seaway at 0720 hrs it was not
long before we located a couple of large rafts of mainly Wedge-tailed
Shearwaters with the first good sighting of the day, a lone Buller's Shearwater.
We then headed out over the Shelf to our usual 'drift point' out wide with a few
Wilson's Storm Petrels & Sooty Terns, plus a Cape Petrel and Long-tailed
Jaeger showing promise of things to come.
On entering Slope waters, some time was wasted
while caught up in an extensive rain squall and we were forced down to a crawl.
Visibility at that point was poor and we were in a main shipping channel - the
radar was constantly manned!! With the squall finally passing, we sped out to
the drift area approx. 56 kilometres ESE of Southport, stopping adjacent to a
party of feeding shearwaters & Sooty Terns at 1120 hrs.
The Flesh-footed Shearwaters were first to arrive
to the chum offered, followed by Wedge-tails and Wilson's Storm Petrels. With
the first of what became a procession of Kermadec Petrels arriving, one of the
real surprises of the day appeared as if from nowhere - a Gibson's Albatross.
This bird remained close to the vessel for almost the remainder of the drift.
Black-bellied Storm Petrels & Tahiti Petrels were now starting to arrive in
reasonable numbers close to the stern of the vessel, offering amazing photo
opportunities
With plenty of birds of good variety around &
still arriving, I'd negotiated for an extension of the drift but by 1330
hrs it was time to start the long haul home. The ever hungry Flesh-foots
continued to follow in the vessels wake and within 15 minutes whilst still in
Slope waters a hulking, menacing shape with dazzling white wing flashes loomed
astern - an intermediate South Polar Skua - which remained in view for a good
15-20 mintes. This was followed shortly after by the last surprise bird for the
day, a White-headed Petrel.
Little of note crossing back over the Shelf, with a
fishing party of about 350 Little Terns interspersed with the occasional Common
Tern greeting us on the shallow 'banks' outside of the Seaway on our return. It
was a long day, over 9 1/2 hours but enjoyed by all, with some patrons managing
up to 7 or more new species.
SPECIES
Cape Petrel - 1
Tahiti Petrel - 9
Providence Petrel - 5
Kermadec Petrel - 4 (2 light intermediate, 2
dark)
White-headed Petrel - 1
Wedge-tailed Shearwater - 866
Buller's Shearwater - 1
Flesh-footed Shearwater - 38
Short-tailed Shearwater - 29
Fluttering Shearwater - 1
Hutton's Shearwater - 2
Gibson's Albatross - 1
Wilson's Storm Petrel - 32
Black-bellied Storm Petrel - 6
South Polar Skua - 1
Pomarine Jaeger - 2
Long-tailed Jaeger - 1
Crested Tern - 12
Common Tern - 2
Little Tern - 350
Sooty Tern - 20
CETACEANS
Very little to report, the Hump-backs appear to
have finally moved back south and just the occasional pod of Offshore
Bottle-nosed Dolphins were encountered.
I'll be posting next years itinerary onto
Birding-aus shortly. Cheers - Paul W.
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