Wollongong Pelagic 4/9/05

[Chris Brandis <>]

 4th September, 2005 SOSSA PELAGIC
TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA. 
  
  Report prepared by: Chris Brandis. 
  
  Departed: 07:15 returned at approx. 16:15 
  Sea conditions: calmish to 1m swell. 
  Swell: SE less than 1.0m. 
  Weather: Warm winter sunshine becoming overcast in the afternoon. 
 
  Summary:
  
 A trip mainly to start banding of returning Wedge-tailed Shearwaters but 
most birds did not appear to be hungry and only a few were caught in the afternoon
and a more trusting Sth Giant-Petrel.

Highlights:

No outstanding birds but a cute 500 mm juvenile fur seal and close encounters of a pod of inquisitive Humpback Whales as well as a few other pods, some breaching.

Birds recorded according to the latest Environment Australia Reporting Schedule:

Species code:                     Species name:           Numbers:

005 Little Penguin 
Eudyptula minor 1
 929 Southern Giant-Petrel 
Macronectes giganteus 2
  937 Northern Giant-PetrelL 
M. halli 1
  080 Cape Petrel Daption capense 1
  971 Solander's Petrel 
P. solandri 10 
 069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinuspacificus 50

068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 200
068 Huttons Shearwater Puffinus huttoni 150
847 Gibson's Albatross Diomedea gibsoni 6
088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 10
859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 2 (1)
861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 6
091 Shy Albatross T. cauta  1
864 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 12
104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 50
980 Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi 3
981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 6
125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 200+
114 White-fronted tern Sterna striata 5
115 Crested Tern S. bergii 70


Other birds

226 White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucocaster 1 adult

Mammals

Humpback Whales, at least 3 pods
Common Dolphin
Bottle-nose Dolphin, with the whales
AustralianFur Seal

For previous trip reports and selected images from this trip visit
http://www.sossa-international.org/

Future Trips

All Pelagic Trips from NSW are operated at no profit to the organizers, being operated as group boat charters for the benefit of all who wish to join us.  If you would like to join one of these trips please contact us as detailed below:

To make a booking on the SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic Trips that departs on the 4th Saturday of each month contact:

SOSSA: Phone 02 4271 6004.
Email: m("tpg.com.au","sossa");">

Carl Loves Phone: 0427 423 500
m("wollongong.hotkey.net.au","fishing");">

Pete Milburn: Mobile 0428 249 506, 02 6255 1313 (AH) or 02 6125 4173 (BH)
m("anu.edu.au","Peter.Milburn");">

To make a booking for Sydney Pelagic Trip that departs from Rose Bay public jetty on the 2nd Saturday of each month contact

Tony Palliser Ph; 02-99001678 (w), 02-94115272  (h)
http://www.zip.com.au/~palliser
m("zip.com.au","palliser");">

To make a booking for Eden Pelagic Trips, which are run on the 5th Sunday of each month as it occurs, contact

Barbara Jones or Ph (02) 6495 7390
m("asitis.net.au","jones");">

Note:  SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association