*Participants*: Phil Blatcher, Dorothy Blatcher, Ruth Brozek, Karen Dick,
John Graff, JJ Harrison, Mona Loofs-Samorzewski, Jeremy O’Wheel, Glen
Pacey, Diego Pitzalis, Els Wakefield, Richard White and Paul Brooks
(organiser and report compiler).
*Boat/crew*: the Pauletta, skippered by John Males with deckhand Jai.
*Conditions*: A mainly comfortable day on the water. Swell generally well
below 2 metres with seas below 2 metre in the morning with the occasional
larger wave. The south-westerly breeze was below 15 knots for most of the
morning and swung around to the west in the afternoon. Water temperature
around 14.6°C. High thin cloud at times in the morning but generally
fine. A bit of drizzle at our arrival back to port in the afternoon. Two
seasick.
*Activity*: After leaving port at 0700 hrs and circumnavigating the
Hippolyte we headed south-east past the shelf to lay our first slick at S43
15 23 E148 13 16 in 380 fathoms. Our next stop was to the north at S43 08
59 E148 16 00 over 430 fathoms. Finally, we headed back to shelf for a
short stop at S43 00 54 E147 55 06 before heading back to port, arriving at
1510 hrs.
*Mammals*:
Australian Fur Seal: c. 50 on the Hippolytes.
*Birds (IOC v 3.5) max numbers at once in brackets*:
Little Penguin: 1 inshore in the morning.
Antipodean Albatross: 1 Didn’t stick around.
Southern Royal Albatross: 6 (3) One halfway between Hippolytes and shelf,
remainder pelagic. Possibly 7 birds.
Black-browed Albatross: 1 Adult between 2nd & 3rd stops.
Shy Albatross: c. 60 (15)
Buller’s Albatross: 1 Pelagic.
Giant Petrel sp.: 2 (1) Both close to the Hippolytes.
Fairy Prion: c. 100 (c. 45)
White-chinned Petrel: c. 18 (9)
Sooty Shearwater: 3 (1)
Short-tailed Shearwater: Many hundreds.
Hutton’s Shearwater: 1 Made a few passes of the boat in pelagic waters.
Wilson’s Storm Petrel: 4 (2)
Grey-backed Storm Petrel: 3 (2)
Australasian Gannet: c. 150 inshore and offshore.
Black-faced Cormorant: c. 200 inshore and on the Hippolytes.
Silver Gull: c. 260 inshore and on the Hippolyte.
Kelp Gull: c. 120 inshore and on the Hippolyte.
Greater Crested Tern: c. 65 (c. 40) From inshore to pelagic waters.
Parasitic Jaeger: 2 (1) Both birds passed the boat briefly twice. A third
bird, probably of this species, didn’t approach close enough for a definite
ID.
PB
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