Albany Western Australia Pelagic Trip Report Tuesday 1st November 2005

["Frank O'Connor" <>]

Albany Western Australia Pelagic Trip
Report Tuesday 1st November 2005

Participants (11) :

Norm Erthal (organiser US), Terry Boss (US), Michael Craig, Randy
Lentz (US), Abby Modesitt (US), Larry Modesitt (US), Frank O'Connor, Joe
Roller (US), Peter Roxburgh (US), George Welch (US), Wayne
Zadow

Conditions :

Departed Emu Point Boat Harbour at 7.10am. Returned at 5.00pm. 
The forecast was for a few early showers with the possibility of
thunderstorms and hail due to a mid level disturbance.  We saw a few
showers but they passed us by and the day was fine and sunny for most of
the time.  The winds were about 15 to 20 knots SSW, strengthening
briefly just before noon.  The sea conditions were good, although
choppy at times with significant waves of about three metres.

Description :

This was the third pelagic trip organised from Albany.  It was a
very good trip but without any exceptional sightings.  We booked the
Mary Anne, a 36ft boat operated by Spinners Charters and skippered by the
owner Peter Barrett.  The trip was organised by Norm Erthal as part
of a tour of the Denver Field Ornithologists from the United
States.

It was nearly a three hour journey to the shelf.  Things were quiet
as it took an hour just to clear the outer heads.  We saw the first
few Flesh-footed Shearwaters before we
cleared the heads along with the first Yellow-nosed
Albatross.  Shortly after we cleared the heads we stopped
briefly for several  Black-browed
Albatross.

As we approached the shelf we stopped briefly for several
Shy Albatross, and then again for a
Cape Petrel.  We passed the shelf
without seeing anything worth stopping for, so we continued until the
depth was about 1000 metres.  We stopped the boat and
burleyed.  This quickly attracted Flesh-footed
Shearwaters, Yellow-nosed Albatross,
Shy Albatross and the first
Great-winged Petrels (one of which was the
Grey-faced form
gouldi).  The boat drifted with
the wind and we repositioned back at the start of the slick.  A
giant-petrel arrived and we finally identified it as a
Northern Giant-Petrel.  We were about
to move when we finally saw our first Wilson's
Storm-Petrel.  We started to move again when we saw a stage 2
Wandering Albatross approach.  It
passed by on several occasions but it was very reluctant to
land.

We returned to shallower depths of just under 300 metres and set another
burley trail.  We attracted the same species including two
Wandering Albatross (the second was a stage
4), and a few more Wilson's
Storm-Petrels.  The Northern
Giant-Petrel had followed the boat.  Just as we began to head
back a White-faced Storm-Petrel was
seen.  On the return we briefly saw an Arctic
Jaeger fly past.

Thanks to Norm Erthal for organising the trip, and to Peter Barrett for
burleying with the pilchards and squid. 
Northern Giant-Petrel,
Cape Petrel and Arctic
Jaeger had not been recorded on the previous two Albany
pelagics.

Time/Latitude/Longitude of most stoppages:

08:10 S35° 05' 57", E118° 01' 27" (near heads)
09:55 S35° 17' 37", E118° 05' 41"
10:15 S35° 18' 59", E118° 06' 37" (1st
Shy Albatross)
11:15 S35° 23' 47", E118° 09' 03" (1st burley trail)
12:25 S35° 23' 26", E118° 10' 18" (2nd burley trail)
14:25 S35° 17' 55", E118° 09' 28" (Arctic
Jaeger)

Bird List (Christidis & Boles order) Total Number (Maximum at Same
Time) :

Northern Giant- Petrel 1 (1)
Great-winged Petrel 2 5 (4) including
one race gouldi
Cape Petrel 1 (1)
Flesh-footed Shearwater 500+ (60)
Wandering Albatross (race
chionoptera?) 2 (2)
Shy Albatross (race cauta) 5
(3)
Black-browed Albatross (race
melanophrys) 6 (3)
Yellow-nosed Albatross (race bassi)
40 (12)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 6 (2)
White-faced Storm-Petrel 1 (1)
Australasian Gannet 13 (5)
Arctic Jaeger 1 (1)

Mammal List :

New Zealand Fur Seal
(Arctocephalus forsteri) 1 (1) Emu
Point

Next Trip :

There is likely to be another Albany pelagic as part of the BA
Congress & Campout in October 2006.  There is almost certain to
be an Albany pelagic during the Australasian Ornithological Conference in
December 2007 (AOC2007).  Other trips may also be organised if the
opportunity arises.  For details contact Frank O'Connor on 08 9386
5694 or email
m("iinet.net.au","foconnor");">

_________________________________________________________________
Frank O'Connor           Birding WA http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au
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