27th May, 2006 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.
Departed: 07:20 returned at approx. 14:45.
Sea conditions: choppy SW at first rising to 1.5 to 2.5m SSW by late morning.
Swell: SE 1.5 to 2.5 m in the morning falling
away to 1.0 to 2.0 m later the day.
Weather: Cloudy with patchy rain in the morning,
clearing to bright sunshine later.
Temperature range: 12.1 to 17.6°C.
Barometric pressure: 1014 HPa steady.
Wind: SW 8 to 10 knots at first increasing to SSW 15 to 20 knots later.
Sea surface temperature: 18.9 to 20.8°C.
Primary chumming location: S 34° 27' - E 150° 57'.
Summary:
A slow-moving anticyclone located over central
Australia and a low-pressure system moving east
into the Tasman Sea had generated southerly winds
for most of the preceding week. The nip in the
breeze as we boarded warned us that there would
be more of the same today. A cold and
uncomfortable start, turned into an outright slog
as we headed into a sea that stood up against the
strong current from the north. Luck was with us
as we headed south and we cleared the worst of
the current making the going easier. The skies
cleared and, as the day unfolded, we were treated
to a succession of spectacular Southern Ocean
seabirds.
It already felt like winter as we slipped out of
the harbour. Those on board were rugged up to
their eyeballs and it came as no surprise to see
several adult Black-browed Albatross soaring
above the huddle of beanie hats! A couple of
Campbell Albatross were also foraging close to
shore. Australasian Gannets and Fluttering
Shearwaters were searching for fish over the
inshore reefs as were a pod of Short-beaked
Common Dolphins. A White-capped Albatross flew
in from the south to investigate our vessel and
was followed soon, first by a juvenile SHY
ALBATROSS and then by an adult Indic Yellow-nosed
Albatross. I could not remember seeing so many
albatrosses close to shore in May and hoped that
this was a good omen for the day.
As we laboured southeast into the sea we began to
see FAIRY PRIONS, a species that has been more or
less absent from Wollongong waters since 2002.
With light rain falling and plenty of spray
dousing us we reached 50 fathoms. The current
was strong here and at least the sea felt warm as
it splashed us. Indeed, the sea surface
temperature was higher even than that inside the
cabin! I was soaking wet and having trouble
writing in my notebook due to the sea conditions
but filled with a sense that we would have a good
day once we could run with the sea. A Brown Skua
appeared and harried a Black-browed Albatross. A
NORTHERN-GIANT PETREL circled the boat and then
joined the following albatross flock. A dark
pterodroma petrel was shadowing us and proved
quite cryptic among the small group of
Short-tailed Shearwaters. Eventually, we were
able to identify it as being nominate race
Great-winged Petrel. A second year bird joined
the juvenile SHY ALBATROSS and the NORTHERN-GIANT
PETREL appeared to have duplicated itself as
well. As we neared the edge of the continental
shelf a male Gibson's Albatross crossed our wake
but the sea conditions made it tough to use the
binoculars.
At the 100-fathom line a NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS
flew right up to the stern, almost into our
faces, so we cut our speed and held position into
the sea. This was a new bird for most on board
and everybody was delighted to have such
fantastic views of this magnificent animal. It
clearly displayed mostly dark outer retrices and
some dark spots in the centre of the tail along
with black vermiculation on the lower back;
consistent with it being a young bird. The crown
lacked dark feathers and the leading edge of the
wing was white suggesting that it was not a
juvenile. The primary moult status indicated
that the bird was at least 5 years old
demonstrating that the plumage ontogeny of this
species is yet fully understood.
As we turned for home, running with the sea
behind us, the skies cleared and we felt the
warmth of the sun for the first time.
Incredibly, not one but several WANDERING
ALBATROSS joined the NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS and
we soon had a small flock of Diomedea albatross
following the boat. Among them were Gibson's and
a male ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS. Campbell Albatross
seemed to be flying in from all points of the
compass and Fairy Prion were all around us. The
conditions were much more pleasant now and the
cameras were running hot as we were treated to
fantastic views of 9 species of albatross
following us back to port in glorious winter
sunshine. While scarce on the trip out to sea,
Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross numbers increased
continuously on the return leg of our journey.
Highlights:
This was a classic Wollongong Pelagic trip;
starting out in cold, tough conditions under a
leaden sky and ending in bright sunshine with
everyone happy. We had excellent views of an
incredible total of 9 species of albatross all in
view behind the boat as we ran home with sea.
Petrel numbers were low but it was good to see
the return of Fairy Prion in significant numbers.
Birds recorded according to the latest
Environment Australia Reporting Schedule:
Species code: Species name: Numbers:
(Note: numbers in parenthesis = highest count at any one time)
937 NORTHERN GIANT-PETREL Macronectes halli 3 (3)
075 Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma m. macroptera 7 (2)
971 Solander's Petrel P. solandri 3 (1)
083 FAIRY PRION Pachyptila turtur 300+ (150+)
068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 200+ (30+)
913 Hutton's Shearwater P. huttoni 3 (1)
071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 11 (6)
086 WANDERING ALBATROSS Diomedea exulans 4 (3)
846 ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS D. antipodensis 1
847 Gibson's Albatross D. gibsoni 3 (2)
973 NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS D. sanfordi 1
088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 25 (6)
859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 50+ (20+)
861 SHY ALBATROSS T. cauta 3 (2)
861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 4 (2)
864 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 24 (14)
104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 16 (10)
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 2 (2)
980 Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi 7 (4)
981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 5 (5)
125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 85+ (50+)
115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 10 (5)
In the harbour:
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 6 (6)
115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 1
22 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater.
Other birds
None
Mammals
Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 14 (14)
Reptiles
None
Fish
None
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:
Carl Loves Phone: 0427 423 500
Pete Milburn: Mobile 0428 249 506, 02 6255 1313 (AH) or 02 6125 4173 (BH)
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
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
Note: SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association
--
Dr P.J. Milburn
Technical Specialist
ANU Biomolecular Resource Facility
John Curtin School of Medical Research
Australian National University
GPO Box 334
Canberra ACT 0200
'Phone +61 2 6125 4326
FAX +61 2 6125 4326
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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