BirdLife Australia pelagic trip off Eaglehawk Neck Tas 17 July 2017

Hi all,

Here’s the second of the two trip reports from the BirdLife Aust pelagic
trips that ran off Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania last weekend.

Cheers,

Rohan

Sunday 17 July 2016

OBSERVERS: Tim Bawden, Todd Burrows, Ruth Brozek, Paul Dodd, Ruth
Woodrow, Dean Ingwersen, Angus McNab, Elliot Leach, Trevor Lumb, Paul
Newman, Bernie O’Keefe, Glen Pacey and Rohan Clarke (report compiler).

WEATHER: Clear and sunny with 0-5% cloud through the day. Nice soft
winter light for photography. Wind from the NW 5-10 knots at first,
increasing to 10 to 15 knots from 10 AM and staying there for the
remainder of day. Cool to mild at first, becoming cold with the stronger
breeze around midday.

SEA: Pretty flat inshore with a 0.5 m swell and a 0.5 m sea. A lumpy and
somewhat confused swell to 1-2 m in offshore and pelagic waters with a
1-1.5 m sea. The boat pitched around a bit when stationary owing to the
confused sea. A little bit of spray as we pushed across the
north-westerly wind on the return leg.

ACTIVITY: Sailed at 0730. Headed out past the Hippolytes, passing down
the north-eastern side before proceeding to the shelf break. A few more
birds in inshore waters in the AM compared with the previous day
suggested things might also be better in pelagic waters but it wasn’t to
be. Crossed the shelf break (100 fathoms) at 0910 before making our
first stop at 43º13’16”S 148º13’30”E over 250-380 fathoms of water where
we berleyed with fish discards including shark liver. Two further stops
were made; one over 800 fathoms at 43º13’50”S 148º17’34”E and the other
back on the shelf for just ~15 mins slightly north of our first stop.
Headed back in at 1330 to dock at 1505.

MAMMALS:
NZ Fur Seal: about 15 on Hippolytes.

Australian Fur Seal: at least 4 on the Hippolytes.

Common Dolphin: A pod of ~8 did some spectacular clear leaps as they
approached the boat in inshore waters in the PM.

BIRDS: 18 species of seabird beyond the breakwater was well below
average for a Tassie pelagic. It seems persistent north-westerly air
streams result in lower counts and fewer species when compared with
trips that experience southerly air streams. Highlights were few but we
did record more gulls than the previous day /:)/

Southern Royal Albatross: 4 (3). 1 in offshore waters in the AM,
remainder pelagic. All adult.

Black-browed Albatross: 1 adult pelagic.

Campbell Albatross: 1 pelagic – a distant and single flyby.

Shy Albatross: cauta/steadi 90 (45). 7 adults inshore, 11 adults, 1
juvenile, 1 immature offshore, 1 juvenile, 2 immature and ~67 adults
pelagic.

Buller’s Albatross: 20 (8). 4 inshore, 4 offshore, remainder pelagic.
All adult. (see pic)

Northern Giant-Petrel: 3 (3). All immature, all pelagic.

Common Diving-Petrel: 26 (5). 5 inshore, 17 offshore, remainder pelagic.

[Prion spp: a single distant and unidentified bird at the first berley
point (pelagic).]

Sooty Shearwater: 9 (2). 7 pelagic, 2 offshore in the PM.

Cape Petrel: 2 (1). Both pelagic, both ssp capense.

Grey-faced Petrel (gouldi): 15 (4). All pelagic.

Great-winged Petrel (macroptera): 3 (2). All pelagic.

WHITE-HEADED PETREL: 17 (3). All pelagic. Photos of a very distant bird
that I called as a Soft-plumaged Petrel upon our arrival at the shelf
reveal it was actually a White-headed Petrel.

Australasian Gannet: 5 (3). 3 inshore, 2 offshore. All adult.

Black-faced Cormorant: 10 on the Hippolytes.

Crested Tern: 13 (3). 3 inshore, 6 offshore, 4 pelagic.

Silver Gull: 10 (5). All inshore in AM.

Kelp Gull: 90 (35). 65 adults, 4 x juvenile, 3 x 2nd year, 3 x 3rd year
inshore, 5 adult and 1 offshore, 1 adult, 2 x 2nd year offshore, 2
adult, 2 x 1st year, 2 x 2nd year pelagic.

Pacific Gull: 1 adult, 1 x 2nd year inshore, 1 adult, 1 x 3rd year
around the Hippolytes/offshore.

A White-bellied Sea-eagle that joined the gulls at the back of the boat
briefly over inshore waters rounded out the list.

—
Rohan Clarke
www.wildlifeimages.com.au

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