TRIP REPORT – Eaglehawk Neck Pelagic, TAS – Sunday, 22 April 2012:
PARTICIPANTS:
Els Wakefield, JJ Harrison, Paul Brooks, Ian May, Jeremy O’Wheel, Matt & Jeanette Fiess,
Graeme & Fletcher McCormack, Jim O’Shea, Liz Znidersic, Andrew Walter, Hazel Britton &
James Melville (organizer and report compiler) – aboard the Pauletta with skipper John Males.
ACTIVITY:
Left Pirates Bay at 0710 hrs with heavy cloud cover and low light. Headed straight for the shelf
edge after doing a quick circumnavigation of the Hippolytes between 0755 hrs and 0810 hrs.
Started the first berley run at 0910 hrs (-43.1243,148.0948) and drifted until 1205 hrs (-43.1065,
148.2491). The second and final berley point was at 1250 hrs (43.0653, 148.2358), drifting until
1330 hrs (-43.07137693, 148.23335306). Berley used at both stops included fish frames and oil
as well as chicken skins, scraps and fat. The trip back was a little slower due to the swell
however we still arrived back at the jetty by around 1500 hrs as planned.
CONDITIONS:
~30 knot northerly winds in the morning dropping to ~20 knot winds by early afternoon. 1.5 m to
2.0 m swell with occasional larger sets to 3 m at the shelf. Despite considerable chop at times,
no one was sea sick. There was heavy cloud cover throughout most of the day with just a few
short periods of sun breaking through gaps in the cloud cover during the afternoon.
MAMMALS:
Australian Fur Seal: c.30 Hippolyte, c.15 Little Hippolyte (Cheverton Rock), 1 pelagic.
Common Dolphin: a single pod of c.20 pelagic.
SUMMARY:
(32) bird species and (2) mammal species were recorded by observers whilst aboard the
Pauletta. Of the thirty-two bird species, Pacific Black Duck and White-bellied Sea Eagle were
recorded in Pirates Bay only. Of the thirty species recorded beyond the bay, highlights included
Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Buller’s Shearwater, White-headed Petrel, Providence Petrel, Brown
Skua, (Northern) Royal Albatross and the major highlight, a GREAT SHEARWATER (the 4th
record from TAS) seen by all aboard at the second berley point. Previous records of Great
Shearwater in TAS are from off Eaglehawk neck on 20/02/2011 and off St Helens on 06/03/2011
and 10/03/2011.
SPECIES LIST:
** Total ( maximum number seen at one time ) **
Pacific Black Duck 2 (2) Pirates Bay in the AM.
Yellow-nosed Albatross: 5 (1) including an immature inshore.
Buller’s Albatross: 20 (5) ~3 inshore with majority offshore and pelagic.
Shy Albatross: 100 (45) ~15 inshore with larger numbers at and beyond the shelf break.
Black-browed Albatross: 1 (1) adult nominate race
2 (1) adult impavida
3 (2) immature unknown race
ROYAL ALBATROSS: 1 (1) NORTHERN.
Wandering Albatross: 5 (2) 3 juvenile, 2 adults (possible breeding gibsoni + 1 adult exulans)
Southern Giant-Petrel: 1 (1) pelagic.
Northern Giant-Petrel: 1 (1) pelagic.
Giant Petrel sp.: 1 (1) photographed near the Hippolytes.
Cape Petrel: 1 (1) offshore in the AM.
Great-winged Petrel: ‘gouldi’ 5 (3)
Providence Petrel: 5 (2) offshore, and the remainder pelagic.
WHITE-HEADED PETREL: 1 (1) pelagic.
Fairy Prion: 10 (3) offshore & pelagic.
White-chinned Petrel: 7 (4)
GREAT SHEARWATER: 1 (1) at the 2nd berley stop and following the boat afterwards.
BULLER’S SHEARWATER: 2 (1) offshore and pelagic.
Sooty Shearwater: 2 (1) offshore & pelagic.
Short-tailed Shearwater: 80 (17) offshore and pelagic with a few individuals seen inshore.
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 30 (15) pelagic. (2) offshore in AM.
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel: 40 (20) pelagic.
White-faced Storm-Petrel: 1 (1) pelagic.
BLACK-BELLIED STORM PETREL: 1 (1) pelagic.
Common Diving-Petrel: 4 (2) offshore.
Australasian Gannet: 90 (75) a raft of around 75 inshore in the PM, ~15 offshore & pelagic
Black-faced Cormorant: (5) inshore (~80) ashore on the Hippolytes (1) pelagic.
White-bellied Sea-Eagle: 2 (2) Pirates Bay in the PM.
Silver Gull: 45 (8) inshore (~30) Hippolytes
Pacific Gull: 1 (1)
Kelp Gull: 20 (~10) inshore, (6) Hippolytes
Crested Tern: 40 (4) inshore, (~30) Hippolytes, 4 (2) pelagic.
BROWN SKUA: 2 (1) offshore and (1) pelagic.
