Hi All, last Saturdays' report from Southport Queensland.
Location: Southport, Queensland
Date: 4/2/2012
Vessel: 37 ft Steber monohull, MV Grinner
Crew: Craig Newton (skipper)
Pax: Paul Walbridge (leader & organiser), Glen Pacey, Rob Morris,
Richard Noske, Rod Gardner, Mat Gilfedder, Chris Wiley, Dick Andersson,
Judith Hoyle, Shealagh Walker.
Weather conditions:
A high near New Zealand and with a low forming in the Coral Sea
extended a ridge onto the Southern Queensland coast. Light SW winds
early on, switching around to S-SE by mid-morning to about 8 knots,
increasing to about 12 knots by mid afternoon. Some high cloud early on
becoming patchy with some bright sunny periods but with some rain
squalls out wide. Maximum air temperature 29* C, barometric pressure
1002 hPa.
Sea conditions:
Light seas on a low swell on leaving the Seaway gradually rising to
about 1.5 metre swell by the 50 fathom mark and out wide at the final
drift point seas to .5 metre on swell sets to 2 metres. Sea surface
temps. all over the place due to the large volumes of fresh water still
entering the ocean with discoloured water still evident out wide. Sea
surface temps. 24.4*C at the Seaway dropping down to as low as 23*C half
way across the Shelf and peaking at 26.8*C at the widest drift point.
Current out wide running at approx. 1.5 knots.
Summary:
Exited the Seaway at 0600 hrs and headed ENE to the Riviera Grounds
some 26 nm from Southport. Crossed the Shelf-break at 0830 hrs, reaching
the first drift point at 0912 hrs and continued to drift until 1200 hrs
then headed for home. Arrived back at the Southport Seaway at 1445 hrs,
total duration of trip 8 hrs 45 minutes.
On leaving the Seaway, we encountered the largest fleet of returning
trawlers I can recall with at least nine passing us on their way back to
the Seaway. The trawler procession continued for about 25 minutes over a
distance of about 3.5 nm. with mostly Crested Terns, Silver Gulls and
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters involved but also Fluttering and Hutton*s
Shearwaters, a few Little Black Cormorants and a lone Pomarine Jaeger.
However, about halfway through this procession the first good sighting
of the day, a Buller*s Shearwater appeared to port but only too
briefly as it headed nor*eastward away from us.
Traversing the Shelf revealed nothing more than a few more
Wedge-tailed, Fluttering & Hutton*s Shearwaters, another Pomarine
Jaeger and the first Flesh-footed Shearwater of the day, with a few more
Hutton*s Shearwaters before reaching the Riviera Grounds. Reached the
final drift point at 0912 hrs with a solitary Crested Tern in attendance
but with the first Tahiti Petrel of the day appearing shortly after. For
approx. the next hour more Tahiti Petrels and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters
along with a lone Pomarine Jaeger appeared in the slick to the south of
the vessel.
At 1005 hrs the next surprise bird of the day appeared, arriving with a
Tahiti Petrel from the north, the first Southport Streaked Shearwater in
a couple of years & it promptly headed down the slick to where the other
birds had congregated. Not all the punters on board had a satisfactory
view of the bird (new for some) not to mention the photographic
opportunity missed, so shortly afterward we headed down south through
the slick and promptly relocated the bird and briefly observed the bird
close enough for reasonable photographs. It truly is one of the more
impressive species of shearwater on the planet.
Over the next two hours not much changed with mostly more Tahiti
Petrels (up to 7 in one sweep) Flesh-footed and Wedge-tailed
Shearwaters appearing from both inshore and from the north. Headed back
to shore at 1200 hrs and not much noted travelling back over the Shelf
until almost back at the Seaway, with small groups of feeding
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.
Species
Wedge-tailed Shearwater * 305 (100)
Buller*s Shearwater * 1
Flesh-footed Shearwater * 3 (2)
Streaked Shearwater * 1
Fluttering Shearwater * 2 (1)
Hutton*s Shearwater * 6 (3)
Tahiti Petrel * 35 (7)
Little Black Cormorant * 3 (2)
Pomarine Jaeger * 3 (1)
Crested Tern * 411 (300)
Silver Gull * 50 (30)
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