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Southport Pelagic 20th Dec. 2003.

To: "Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Southport Pelagic 20th Dec. 2003.
From: "Paul Walbridge" <>
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 16:34:55 +1000
Hi Birding-aussers, here is the final report for the year from Southport, Queensland.
 
Vessel: 53ft monohull, 'Flying Fish II'.
 
Crew: 2.
 
Pax: 14.
 
Weather Conditions: A High centered east of New Zealand brought light to moderate E-NE winds onto the south Queensland coast. Wind 10-15 knots early from the east, rising to 20 knots from the NE in early afternoon. Cloud cover almost nil with slight haze but visibility very good. maximum temperature 30C, barometric pressure 1012 hPa.
 
Sea Conditions: Light seas early, on up to 1+ metre swell with seas rising to 2 metres later on with the wind change. Southerly current out wide to 3.5 knots.
 
Left the Seaway at approx. 0730 hrs and encountered a couple of 'rafts' of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters soon after, interspersed with one or two Flesh-footed Shearwaters but little else. Largely uneventful traversing Shelf waters with a female Brown Booby being the avian highlight. The real highlight was the capture of a small tuna - a useful addition to the 'chum' bin I thought. A few minutes later, Michael the 'deckie' emerged from the cabin with a plate of 'chilled' sushimi complete with dipping sauce and enclosed chopsticks. After an initial taste & nod of approval by me, a few others tucked in to this culinary delight. Now that's pelagic birding with with service & style, we really do, do it tough up here from Southport!!
 
We arrived at the usual drift point approx. 55 kilometres ESE of Southport at about 1045 hrs and proceeded to drift & 'chum' with little effect. A few shearwaters and terns could be seen milling around about a kilometre away to the east, so we headed over. On starting to 'chum' 3 Tahiti Petrels joined in soon  after so we held this 'drift' for the duration, eventually finishing up 65 kilometres ESE of Southport. Good numbers of Tahiti Petrels were around (high count of 12) with 3 Kermadec Petrels also making an appearance. A Great-winged Petrel towards the end of the drift was the only other bird of note. Flesh-footed Shearwater numbers were right down from the previous trip.
 
A feature of these Southport trips, mainly in the summer months, is the proximity of the Tahiti Petrels to the vessel as they fly past at very close range and land on the water to fight for possession of food. Indeed, the Kermadec Petrels - another species not noted for attraction to boats - stayed around for the duration of the drift, on and off, also landing to feed. The Kermadecs were of three different 'morph' stages by the way and easily separable. The six new visitors on board were most impressed with the close views of these two much sought after procellariiform including one John Cox (2 newbies). Sightings of Kermadec Petrel from Southport seem to be on the increase, with 16 individuals noted in the past two years alone.
 
Headed back to the Seaway just after 1300 hrs with a few more Tahiti Petrels but mostly Wedge-tailed Shearwaters sighted. Arrived back at the Seaway at 1640 hrs - duration of trip just over 9 hours. Full list below;
 
Tahiti Petrel - 36
Great-winged Petrel - 1
Kermadec Petrel - 3
Wedge-tailed Shearwater - 608
Flesh-footed Shearwater - 8
Short-tailed Shearwater - 2
Brown Booby -1
Silver Gull - 3
Crested Tern - 45
Common Tern 15
 
Oh and before I forget it again, can Bob Way et al, please tell me why they had to consult with Americanos over something relatively simple re; ID of Wandering Tattlers? There are some of us up here who see Wandering Tatts EVERY season November/May and have lots of photos to help you in this not so difficult matter!!
 
OK, got that one off my chest and I hope I didn't miss something since the initial posting that I saw. Finally I would like once again to thank Birding-Aus and members for your support throughout the year, it's been much appreciated. Wishing you all a very merry Xmas & a safe and prosperous New Year. Cheers - Paul W.
 
 
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