Apologies all - Cape 'Naturalist' should have been Cape Naturaliste
On 13/06/2012, at 10:11 PM, Stewart Ford wrote:
>
> SEAWATCH AT CAPE NATURALIST, SW WA
>
> On Wednesday I set out with John Graff and Nigel Jackett on a seawatch
> centered around Cape Naturaliste, SW WA. The trip was timed to coincide with
> the aftermath of a second very strong front that has resulted in powerful
> westerly winds and wild weather in the south-west over several days.
> Conditions were ripe; seawatches in the Perth region by John and others in
> the preceding days had been quite productive, so we had high hopes for the
> trip.
>
> We left early to get to Bunker Bay by first light and it was immediately
> apparent that this wasn't going to be the dream trip we'd imagined. There
> was very little activity apart from common species such as Australasian
> Gannet and the odd Crested Tern. John was surprised to see it so quiet in
> what were otherwise good conditions (winds were SW at 25-35 knots). A bit of
> fish oil dolloped into the surf may have helped to bring in the only
> tubenoses we saw at Bunker Bay: good views of Northern and Southern
> Giant-Petrels - but it could also have been pure coincidence!
>
> After an hour we decided to move to a vantage point on Cape Naturaliste with
> good elevation, the light perfectly behind us, but, unlike Bunker Bay, very
> little shelter from the sleet. Never mind, because there were albatrosses.
>
> A regular pulse of albatrosses was making its way nearshore from the south
> and disappearing into the open waters of the bay around the headland.
> Meanwhile, Great-winged Petrels, Black-browed and Indian Yellow-nosed
> Albatrosses and both giant-petrels were appearing from the north-east around
> the headland and winding their way upwind in the opposite direction. It was a
> great result already, but within minutes things started to get even more
> interesting.
>
> Watching for the next albatross in the pulse, I picked up a pale petrel
> coming fast towards us along the coast, inshore in the wave-breaking zone.
> Through the scope it sheared back and forth giving excellent views of both
> wing surfaces in direct sunlight. It was unmistakeable. Southern Fulmar was
> the cry and John and Nigel both got on to it quickly and revelled in the
> bird. Hearts pumping, we watched it cruise past and disappear into the bay
> to the north-east over the next minute or so.
>
> The next big bird of the trip came after a couple of bouts of sleet had seen
> us oscillate between the shelter of some low heath and our scopes. I got on
> to a large petrel from the other side of the cape showing all-white. It
> languished for a while downwind of the point, flapping more frequently
> between glides than the giant-petrels had done until then. While I dithered
> with the ID, hoping for a closer look as it rounded the cape and sailed past
> us as most birds had done, Nigel and John were bang on: it was a pale-morph
> Southern Giant-Petrel.
>
> Our final seawatching location was from the whale watching platform on the
> edge of the sheltered northern cliffs of the cape. Because the sea below was
> sheltered, this was less busy than our previous location but there were some
> numbers of Great-winged Petrels and giant-petrels, and John spied the third
> excellent bird of the trip, a juvenile Wandering Albatross majestically
> working its way upwind and around the cape.
>
> Thanks to John & Nigel for an exceptional seawatch!
>
> TRIP SUMMARY
>
> Date: Wednesday 13 June, 2012
> Participants: John Graff, Nigel Jackett, Stewart Ford
>
> Bunker Bay: 7:30-8:25
> http://goo.gl/maps/AGNi
>
> Eastern Reef-Egret: 1
> Eastern Osprey: 1
> Crested Tern: 10
> Southern Giant-Petrel: 1
> Northern Giant-Petrel: 2
> Australasian Gannet: 30
> Little Pied Cormorant: 1
> Pied Cormorant: 1
> Silver Gull: 8
>
> Cape Naturaliste: 9:00-12:30
> http://goo.gl/maps/YsAr
>
> Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 10+
> Black-browed Albatross: 4
> *Wandering Albatross: 1
> Shy Albatross: 1
> **Southern Giant-Petrel: 2
> Northern Giant-Petrel: 2
> Giant-Petrel sp.: 4
> Southern Fulmar: 1
> Great-winged Petrel: 18+
> Australasian Gannet: 50
> Silver Gull: 6
> Pacific Gull: 2
> Crested Tern: 11
> Wedge-tailed Eagle: 2
> Nankeen Kestrel: 1
>
> *Wandering-type Albatross corresponding with Gibson's plumage index 1 or
> Plumage A of Onley & Scofield (2007).
> ** One pale morph.
>
>
>
> ++Stewart Ford
>
>
>
>
>
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