Eaglehawk Neck (Tasmania) Pelagic - 20 February 2005

EAGLEHAWK NECK BOAT TRIP - 20 February 2005


GROUP:                Peter and Hazel Britton, Brian Johnston, Gil Langfield, Chris and Rosemary Lester, Grant Penrhyn, Bill Wakefield plus four Tasmanians (apologies as I didn't get all the names).

VESSEL/SKIPPER:        Pauletta / John Males with deckie.

WEATHER:                Overcast early, with mist and a little drizzle.  Improved a bit over the day so that it was fine later.  There was very little breeze, with only 2-3 knots for most of the day.  In the afternoon, the wind sprang up a bit to 5-10 knots from the NNE.

SEA:                        A small swell of less than 0.5m with no chop throughout the day.

ACTIVITY:                Sailed 07.30.  Headed E from Pirates Bay to outside the shelf.  Little activity on the way out except for shearwaters and a few albatrosses. Berleyed from 09.15 at the first stop (about 18nm from Pirates Bay and 4 nm past the shelf) at 43o 01.39'S 148o13.37'E in 300 fathoms with water temperature at 16.9o C until 10.15.  Continued out and stopped at 10.50 (at about 6.5nm past the shelf) in 550+ fathoms (16.8o C) at 43o 00.59'S 148o 15.36'E until 11.40.  Headed back towards the shelf (stopping about 5nm from the shelf) to 43o 02.70'S 147o 55.55'E and stopped at 12.10 in 550 fathoms (16.8oC).  Started back, with a final stop at the shelf at 13.45 in 70 fathoms (16.7o C) at 43o 02.10'S 147o 55.32'E until 14.05.  Returned to Pirates Bay, arriving at 15.45.

MAMMALS:                None identified.

BIRDS:                        Quite a good day on the water in terms of bird species with fair overall bird numbers.  The weather was much calmer than predicted.  White-chinned Petrels turned in fair numbers and were constantly present.  Short-tailed Shearwater numbers were well down from other February trips.  We saw several GOULD'S PETRELS at the first three stops, SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL at the second stop and Northern Royal Albatross at the third stop.  Also at the third stop was an adult Wandering Albatross with a leg band with "427" on it.

Little Penguin                              6
Common Diving-Petrel                  8 (2)
Northern Giant-Petrel                   1
Giant-Petrel sp                            1
SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL         1
GOULD'S PETREL                       5 (2)
Fairy Prion                                   6 (2)
White-chinned Petrel                   20 (10)
Sooty Shearwater                         1
Short-tailed Shearwater          4,000 (300)
Fluttering Shearwater                    1
Hutton's Shearwater                      1
Wandering Albatross                   12 (6)
Royal Albatross                            1.  Northern RA
Black-browed Albatross               15 (4)
Shy Albatross                             65 (14
Yellow-nosed Albatross                  3 (1)
Buller's Albatross                         25 (6)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel                    2 (2)
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel             20 (7)
White-faced Storm-Petrel              20 (6)
Australasian Gannet                     50 (32)
Black-faced Cormorant                   4 (3)
Sooty Oystercatcher                      1
Arctic Jaeger                                 1
Pacific Gull                                    2 (1)
Kelp Gull                                      28 (20)
Silver Gull                                     16 (16)
Crested Tern                                 60 (14)


Remaining 2005 Trips:  25 September and 27 November
Please note the change of dates for these trips.  There are still vacancies for both trips.