28th October 2007, SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.
Departed: 07:20 returned at approx. 15:30.
Sea conditions: calm at first then NE 1.5 to 2.0 m.
Swell: ENE 2.0 to 3.0 m offshore.
Weather: overcast and foggy in the morning but high cloud in the afternoon.
Temperature range: 18.9 to 23.6°C.
Barometric pressure: 1001 HPa rising.
Wind: calm at first increasing to 10 to 15 knots NE by mid morning.
Sea surface temperature: 20.7 to 21.6°C.
Primary chumming location: 34° 19'S : 151° 21'E.
Summary:
A high-pressure system remained over New Zealand
as a trough developed over eastern Australia.
Conditions were calm and foggy as we left port
and, as on the previous day's excursion, we were
immediately among Short-tailed and Fluttering
Shearwaters. A lone Sooty Shearwater was close
inshore and provided nice comparative views with
a Short-tailed Shearwater. Several Humpback
Whales were sighted before we had cleared the
inshore reefs. Fur-seals were foraging a little
further offshore and among them were 3
SUBANTARCTIC FUR-SEALS that had herded up a
school of Cowanyoung. Both Arctic and Pomarine
Jaegers were recorded early and it seemed as
though they had finally arrived in significant
numbers.
Beyond 65 fathoms we encountered several Campbell
Albatross and a Solander's Petrel but otherwise
our cruise out to the edge of the continental
shelf was relatively uneventful. Heavy
northeasterly winds had been forecast for the
afternoon so we continued northeast parallel to
the shelf break and then stopped to set up a
drift-and-berley session. We were joined by
ANTIPODEAN, Gibson's, Black-browed, White-capped
and more Campbell Albatross almost immediately.
We ultimately accumulated a modest flock of
Wilson's Storm-Petrels and few Grey-faced and
Solander's Petrels also checked us out but the
seabird numbers remained low overall.
The highlights of the return trip were both
single first year SHY and Indic Yellow-nosed
Albatross along with several Pomarine Jaegers.
Highlights:
Something of a return to normality after the trip
of the preceding day but we had great views of a
3 SUBANTARCTIC FUR-SEALS and 3 Humpback Whales
over the inshore reefs. Seven albatross species
were recorded in a total of 17 procellariiformes.
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)
080 Cape Petrel Daption capense australe 1
075 Grey-faced Petrel Pterodroma macroptera gouldi 6 (3)
971 Solander's Petrel P. solandri 3 (1)
068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 4 (1)
913 Hutton's Shearwater P. huttoni 1
069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater P. pacificus 68 (25)
070 Sooty Shearwater P. griseus 1
071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 13 (5)
072 Flesh-footed Shearwater P. carneipes 2 (2)
846 ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS Diomedea antipodensis 1
847 Gibson's Albatross D. gibsoni 5 (5)
088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 1
859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 15 (9)
091 Shy Albatross T. cauta 1 first year
861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 3 (2)
089 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 1 first year
063 Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus 13 (10)
104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 26 (10)
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 1
128 Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus 4 (2)
945 Pomarine Jaeger S. pomarinus 5 (3)
981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 1 first summer
125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 105 (48)
115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 27 (12)
953 Common Tern S. hirundo 4 (2)
In the harbour:
096 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1
106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 7 (7)
17 procellariiformes in a total of 25 species of
seabird identified outside the breakwater.
Other birds
None
Mammals
SUBANTARCTIC FUR-SEAL Arctocephalus tropicalis 3 (3)
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 3 (2)
Reptiles
None
Fish
Greenback Horse Mackerel (Cowanyoung) Trachurus declivis 300+ (300+)
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)
Note: SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association
--
Dr P.J. Milburn
Technical Specialist
ANU ACRF 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 9533
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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