Extra pelagic off Portland for Biosis, Victoria, Sunday 28 October 2012
Participants: Bob Baird, Tim Cavanagh, Rob Farnes, Felicity Humann,
Rosemary Lester, Clare McCutcheon, John Miller, Marian Shadbolt, Thea
Shell, Katie Stevensen, Mark Venota, Chris Lester (organiser).
Crew: Shannon and Peter.
Activity: Departed Portland harbour aboard the Southern Pride boat at
07.00 heading south-west to the shelf. Went straight out to the shelf.
Our first stop was at 38°41.85’E, 141°22.81 in 190 fathoms of water.
Berleyed here from 9.25 till 10.45, but there were not many birds at all
really. We moved out to 38°46.17’E, 141°23.93 in 260 fathoms about 27 nm
from Portland. We stayed there from 11.10 until 12.10. We saw the
Soft-plumaged Petrel here. We moved along the shelf and berleyed at
38°47.45E, 141°28.32 in 245 fathoms from 12.30 until 13.10. We moved in
towards the shelf break and berleyed at 38°45.34E, 141°32.01 in 110
fathoms from 13.30 until 14.20. Headed back in passing Lawrence Rocks,
where we had a good look, before returning and docking at 17.00.
Conditions: Initially, there was a very light wind of less than 5 knots
from the SW. There was no sea and a swell of about 2 m. It was overcast
and cool. It stayed that way for pretty much the whole day until we
were about to return when it cleared up and was warm and sunny for the
return journey. The swell stayed at about 2m. The wind virtually
disappeared.
Summary: About average diversity with 22 species of seabird recorded
during the trip but the numbers of most regular species were very low.
There not many birds at any of the stops except at the second. The
highlight was the excellent views of Soft-plumaged Petrel.
Mammals:
Humpback Whale: brief encounter with one animal when we were nearly back
to Lawrence Rocks.
Common Dolphins: Quite a lot of these inshore but they were in small
groups quite widely dispersed.
Australian Fur Seal: the normal numbers loafing at Lawrence Rocks with a
few on the way to and from the shelf.
Birds:
Wilson's Storm-Petrel: 20 (10). Pelagic.
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel: 4 (2). Pelagic.
Black-browed Albatross: 40 (12). Mostly race impavada, but also a few
melanophrys. Mostly pelagic.
Shy Albatross: 35 (15). All race cauta. Mostly pelagic, but a few inshore.
Yellow-nosed Albatross: 3 (1). 1 adult and 1 juv pelagic. 1 adult inshore.
Wandering Albatross: 2 (1). Pelagic.
ROYAL ALBATROSS: 4 (3). 3 Southern and 1 Northern. Pelagic.
Giant-Petrel spp: 2. 2 travelling in and out - not close enough to identify.
Cape Petrel: 2 (1). Pelagic.
Fairy Prion: 3 (1). Pelagic.
White-chinned Petrel: 24 (10). Pelagic.
Short-tailed Shearwater: 1,500 (300). Mostly on the way in and out; a
few pelagic.
Fluttering Shearwater: 4 (2). Inshore.
SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL: 1. Pelagic.
Great-winged Petrel: 40 (12). Both races macroptera and gouldi. Pelagic.
Australasian Gannet: 5,000. Most were on or near Lawrence Rocks and
Point Danger but about 30 offshore and pelagic.
Black-faced Cormorant: 50+ inshore, mostly on or near Lawrence Rocks
with 5 flying passed.
WHITE-FRONTED TERN: 4. Roosting on Lawrence Rocks.
Crested Tern: 50 around Lawrence Rocks, 15 off-shore.
Kelp Gull: 2 at Lawrence Rocks and 2 in Portland Harbour.
Pacific Gull: 2 at Lawrence Rocks.
Silver Gull: 100 at Lawrence Rocks, a few in Portland Harbour.
We also saw a small flock of Chestnut Teal, 1 dead Little Penguin, 2
Little Black Cormorants, a Sooty Oystercatcher, 2 Ruddy Turnstones and a
Welcome Swallow at Lawrence Rocks and 2 Great Cormorants, a Little Pied
Cormorant and a Pied Oystercatcher in Portland Harbour.
For details of future Portland trips, go to the BirdLife Australia web
site at the bottom of the page on
http://www.birdlife.org.au/locations/all-victoria-statewide/activities-vic
For reports of past BA-Vic and BirdLife Australia trips from Portland
and Port Fairy, search the Birding-Aus archives for the trip reports at
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/birding-aus/
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