Hi everyone, See below for the trip report from the second of the Albany
Pelagic trips over the weekend. Once again, the report with photos is available
at
http://wabirdingblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/albany-pelagic-trip-report-29-july-2012.html
Cheers,John ________________________________ Participants: Alan Collins
(Organiser), John Graff (Organiser), Ron Broomham, Mark Carter, Rose Ferrell,
Stewart Ford, Nigel Jackett, Darryl Jones, Dan Mantle, Glenn Murray, Graham
Palmer, Leif Reidell, Peter Taylor, Roy Teale, Nathan Waugh Conditions:
Conditions for the trip were a little rougher than the Saturday trip, with
NE'ly winds around 10knts in the morning, increasing to around 15knts for the
return journey. Seas were forecast to be 1.5m, and the swell was forecast to be
2m, increasing to 2.5m through the day. Overhead conditions were fine and sunny
for the majority of the trip, though there was cloud and rain away to the SE
Report
Overall this was a disappointing trip for Albany, especially for regular
participants. Only 9 pelagic species were recorded, with no unusual sightings,
and it proved difficult to bring any birds in behind the boat. The highlight
was another sighting of Orcas (Killer Whales), following on from the sighting
on the Saturday trip, though the views were not as good on this occasion. We
departed Emu Point a little after 7am in clear conditions, which held
throughout the day. Things were quiet as we crossed King George Sound, with the
exception of a couple of Humpback Whales. Not long after passing through the
heads, the first Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross was seen, but the albatross
activity was much lower than usual just outside the heads. We headed deeper,
making a more easterly track than the Saturday trip. A couple of Brown Skuas
were seen, along with a few Hutton's and Little Shearwaters, but seabird
activity was fairly low. A few people also saw a Shy Albatross. The first Gre
at-winged Petrel was not seen until well offshore, and not long afterwards we
came to a stop in about 350m of water. As we stopped, the call of whale drew
attention to a couple of blows to the port side which some observers considered
to be Sperm Whales. Not long afterwards, the call went up for Orcas, and we
were treated to another sighting of these impressive animals (after the
sighting on the Saturday trip). These were also considered to be 'Type A'
individuals, and may have been the same animals seen the previous day. They did
not approach as closely this time, but most people had reasonable views.
Unfortunately the bird activity was quiet, and we struggled to bring in birds
to the back of the boat. Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Great-winged Petrel,
and a few overwintering Flesh-footed Shearwaters were the only species to stay
around the boat, though a few Shy Albatross also made passes. With the wind
behind us, we drifted quite rapidly, so after an hour or so, we decid
ed to reposition at the start of the slick. This made little difference
initially but we were eventually rewarded with some passes by a Soft-plumaged
Petrel and the arrival of a Cape Petrel and a couple of Shy Albatross. However,
overall activity near the boat remained low and so we decided to reposition
again and headed west. We stopped again in about 500m of water and set out the
chum, but could not attract anything different except for a distant
giant-petrel which did not come in. A couple of Little Shearwater were seen
passing but did not come close to the boat. With nothing new coming in, we
decided to start heading back early to give ourselves extra time to stop if we
saw anything on the way in. Within minutes of starting to head back, we stopped
for a Northern Giant-Petrel, which passed behind the stern and disappeared to
the south. After this brief stop we continued our return journey, but saw
nothing new. The NE'ly wind and increasing waves also made it a little wet
for many, especially for the first half of the return journey. We docked
again a little after 1600. Thanks as always to all the participants, and to the
skipper Tony and deckhand Fred (Spinners Charters), who were friendly and
helpful as always. Species List [Total Count (Maximum no. seen at one time)]
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 40+ (14)
Shy Albatross 8 (3)
Northern Giant-Petrel 1 (1)
Cape Petrel 1 (1)
Great-winged Petrel 40+ (13)
Soft-plumaged Petrel 5 (2)
Flesh-footed Shearwater 10 (6)
Hutton's Shearwater 8 (3)
Little Shearwater 10 (2)
Brown Skua 3 (1)
Australasian Gannet 25 (12) Humpback Whale 8 (2)
Sperm Whale (possible) 2 (2)
ORCA (KILLER WHALE) ['Type A'] 9+ (9)
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