SUMMARY: A very pleasant day. Birds were abundant but there were no outstanding
rarities. The main highlights were a BLUE WHALE, an adult SALVIN'S ALBATROSS, 3
S. ROYAL ALBATROSSES and unseasonal N. Giant Petrel & Great (= Southern =
Brown) Skua. Numerous excellent photographic opportunities.
OBSERVERS: Chris Lester (organiser), Rob Berry, Rohan Clarke, Gail D'Alton,
Rob Farnes, Clive Garland, Doris Graham, Peter Lansley, Rosemary Lester, Frank
Pierce, Dave Webb, Andrew Wells & Mike Carter (leader & reporter).
WEATHER: A ridge of high pressure extended from the Bight through Bass Strait
into the Tasman Sea whilst a cold front was approaching from the SW. Full but
thin overcast had cleared by mid-morning. Excellent visibility. Mild. A SE
breeze of ~5 Kts. freshened to ~15 around but not until 15.00 when we left Lady
Julia Percy Island (LJPI).
SEA: The sea was slight (<0.3 m) on a low (to 1.0 m) SW swell until we left
LJPI for PF when it rose to 1 m. So it was mostly very comfortable and no one
was sick.
ACTIVITY: Sailed from Port Fairy (38º23'18"S 142º14'30"E) at 07.04 EDST. We
went out on our usual course of 206º at 13.5 Kts crossing the shelf break at
09.22 without a pause until we arrived at our first berley stop at 09.30 in 260
fathoms @ 38º49.1'S 141º53.5'E. Birds were quick to gather at our shark-liver
and fish berley. At 10.10 we set off for deeper water to the west but diverted
to investigate hundreds of birds following a trawler. We drifted while
berleying in its wake from 10.30 to 11.15. Then we moved to the ~700 fathom
canyon at 38º52.4'S 141º48.9'E and berleyed from 11.30 to 12.00. Then from
12.15 to 13.00 we again berleyed, now at 38º49.9'S 141º45.6'E where the depth
is 316 fathoms. Enroute back to PF, we diverted to the east to approach a Blue
Whale and then briefly cruised portions of the western and northern shores of
LJPI. Docked at 16.25.
MAMMALS:
BLUE WHALE: 1 in 27 fathoms at 38º32.9'S 141º55.3'E was heading SE.
[Common Dolphin: Notable by their absence in conditions favourable to
detection.]
Australian Fur Seals: Only 3 singles away from LJPI where there were thousands.
BIRDS: 25 species (29 taxa) of seabird observed beyond the river mouth
indicated good diversity. Albatross's and some shearwaters were abundant,
numbers inflated by our encounter with a trawler. Unless noted otherwise, all
listed below were near or beyond the shelf break (i.e. pelagic). Highlights are
in capitals.
Little Penguin: 9 (1), 6 inshore going out & 3 ashore on LJPI.
Common Diving Petrel: 3 (1), 2 inshore & 1 offshore going out.
N. GIANT PETREL: 1 juv.
Great-winged Petrel: 10 (3). All were race gouldi. Exceptionally few.
Pterodroma spp?: 1 offshore as we came in.
Fairy Prion: 3 (1), 1 offshore & 2 pelagic.
WHITE-CHINNED PETREL: 5 (3) very tame as usual.
Flesh-footed Shearwater: 320 (200), 5 inshore, 15 offshore & 300 pelagic.
Sooty Shearwater: 2 (1), 1 inshore & 1 pelagic.
Short-tailed Shearwater: >2,150 (1,000). >2,000 inshore, 50 offshore & 100
pelagic.
Fluttering Shearwater: 12 (3) inshore.
Hutton's Shearwater: 2 (1) inshore going out.
GREY-BACKED STORM-PETREL: 8 (3).
White-faced Storm-Petrel: 35 (15). 2 offshore & 33 pelagic.
Wandering Albatross: 8 (6). 7 exulans (similar size S. Royals) stages 1(1),
2(1), 3(1),
4(2), & 5(2), and 1 [gibsoni] stage 3.
S. ROYAL ALBATROSS: 3 (3).
Black-browed Albatross: 30 (20). Melanophrys: 25. 5 adults & 20 sub-adults.
Impavida: 5, 2 adults & 3 sub-adults.
Shy Albatross cauta: 515 (400), 5 inshore, 10 offshore & 500 pelagic. 464
adults, 50
sub-ads & 1 juv. [Steadi = White-capped Albatross: >3].
SALVIN'S ALBATROSS: 1 adult.
Yellow-nosed Albatross: 20 (10); 5 ads., 10 sub-ads. & 5 juvs. 2 offshore & 18
pel.
Australasian Gannet: 84 (25). 30 inshore, 50 offshore & 4, (incl. 1 juv),
pelagic.
Black-faced Cormorant: 7+ on LJPI.
GREAT (BROWN) SKUA: 1.
ARCTIC JAEGER: 1 inshore.
KELP GULL: 14 on LJPI incl. >2 juvs.
Silver Gull: 52. 50, (incl. 2 runners on LJPI), & 2 inshore.
Crested Tern: 225. 200 on LJPI, 24 inshore & 1 pelagic.
Mike Carter
Canadian Bay Road
Mt Eliza VIC 3930
Ph: (03) 9787 7136
Email:
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