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Subject: Eden Pelagic Trip Report, 6-7 November 2004
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 21:21:19 +1100
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Eden (NSW) Pelagic Trip Report Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 November 2004


Details of the trip including images can be found on =
http://www.ecology-solutions.com.au/eden_nov_04/eden_nov_04.htm

Highlights included KILLER WHALES and BULLER'S SHEARWATER.



__________________





Freedom Charter's Connemara was chartered for two days out of Eden, 
NSW. =
Saturday's weather was dominated by a moderate SW with a wind of 15-20 =
knots and seas of 1.0-2.0m with a 0.5m swell. There was some rain in 
the =
afternoon. Sunday started fine with 0.5m swell and a light SW wind of =
less than 10 knots rising by mid afternoon to about 20 knots and 
backing =
SE.



According to the CSIRO Sea Surface Temperature website, a warm-core 
eddy =
of the East Australian Current was present offshore with its southern =
front about equal in latitude to Eden and the western extreme skirting =
the edge of the continental shelf just beyond the 200m drop off. At sea 
=
this manifested itself as a rise in over 1 degree Celsius peaking at =
between 18.7 and 19 degrees over the shelf. Many of the birds and =
cetaceans on Sunday, when the weather was fine, were seen along current 
=
lines in water depths of between about 150 and 300m.



Altogether a fantastic weekend of pelagic birding and cetaceans. 
Despite =
the weather Saturday was an extraordinary day with literally hundreds 
of =
thousands of shearwaters. Short-tailed and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters in =
about equal numbers were present around the vessel in thousands for 
most =
of the day but particularly within two hours of leaving Eden. Also =
present were large numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters and Fluttering =
Shearwaters with some Hutton's Shearwaters. Several feeding frenzies =
were observed including one with Common Dolphins and Australian Fur =
Seals.  Albatrosses were mainly Campbell (no Melanophrys were seen) 
with =
slightly fewer numbers of Shy. Several Gibson's were seen, mainly 
adults =
but one immature plumage bird and one intermediate. On return to Eden 
in =
the afternoon, an Eastern Reef Egret standing on the rock revetments at 
=
the harbour was a surprise.



On Sunday bird numbers were significantly lower but arriving at the =
shelf the water temperature rose and current lines appeared along which 
=
several groups of Common Dolphins and many seabirds were seen. This =
culminated in the highlight of the weekend, a group of 10-12 Killer =
Whales as well as a Buller's Shearwater seen well close to the vessel. =
Albatrosses were again mainly Black-browed (Campbell Albatross) and Shy 
=
Albatross but more Gibson's were seen further offshore including about 
5 =
birds during a berley stop. This also resulted in the appearance of =
several White-chinned Petrels.



On board Connemara were Simon Mustoe, Dave Donnelly, Adrian Howard, =
Megan Morris, Jason Edwards, Chris (Lekos) and Bronwyn, Sue Mason, John 
=
Mason, Peter Constable, Phil Tubbs.



CHECKLIST OF SEABIRDS AND CETACEANS (Apologies I have not bothered to =
put these in strict taxonomic order).


       Species
      Saturday 6 Nov.
      Sunday 7 Nov.
     
       Unidentified Gadfly Petrel
      
      1
     
       Great-winged Petrel
      16
      
     
       Providence Petrel
      
      3
     
       Southern Giant Petrel
      
      4
     
       Wedge-tailed Shearwater
> 400,000
> 8,000
     
       Flesh-footed Shearwater
      100s
> 1,000
     
       Sooty Shearwater
      1
      
     
       Short-tailed Shearwater
> 400,000
> 8,000
     
       Buller's Shearwater 
      1
     
       Fluttering Shearwater
> 1000
> 750
     
       Hutton's Shearwater
      4
      3
     
       Wandering Albatross
      10
      21
     
       Black-browed Albatross sp.
      28 (all observed were impavida)
      80 (all observed were impavida)
     
       Shy Albatross (steadi / cauta)
      44
      50
     
       Salvin's Albatross
      
      2
     
       Yellow-nosed Albatross
      3
      1
     
       Wilson's Storm Petrel
      1
      
     
       Australasian Gannet
      13
      5
     
       Black-faced Cormorant
      1
      
     
       Little Pied Cormorant
      6
      2
     
       Little Black Cormorant
      1
      
     
       Great Cormorant
      30
      20
     
       Little Penguin
      
      1
     
       Pomarine Jaeger
      2
      1
     
       Arctic Jaeger
      1
      
     
       Pacific Gull
      2
      
     
       Silver Gull
      1
      
     
       Crested Tern
      1
      2
     
       Caspian Tern
      1
      
     
       White-bellied Sea-eagle
      2
      3
     
       Eastern Reef Egret
      1
      
     
       Australian Fur Seal
      22
      4
     
       Common Dolphin
> 80
> 230
     
       Oceanic (offshore) Bottlenose Dolphin
      
      14
     
       Humpback Whale
      7
      12
     
       Killer Whale
      
      10-12
     
       Ocean Sunfish
      
      1
     

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