Eaglehawk Pelagic Trip Report, 22nd November 2014 AMENDED

Inadvertently omitted Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross from the first report. Participants: Alan Clark, Karen Dick, Rob Hamilton, Phil Knott, Mona Loofs-Samorzewski, Sean MacDonald, Glen Pacey, Ryan Steiner, Els Wakefield, John Wilkinson and Paul Brooks (organiser and report compiler) Boat: The Pauletta, skippered by John Males, with deckhand Adam. Conditions and Activity: Left port at 0705 hrs to circumnavigate the Hippolytes. Light winds and seas inshore gave way to 15-20 knot NNE winds offshore with a low swell and seas of 0.5-2 metres. We reached our first berley point beyond the shelf break east of the Hippolytes a bit after 0900 hrs; the depth was 430 fathoms, winds were northerly at around 15 knots with seas up around 2 metres; this would be the story for much of the day. Weather was overcast and dull with some very light drizzle. We travelled back up the slick at 1100 hrs before heading north and east to berley over 850 fathoms at 1125 hrs in very similar conditions. The wind dropped out a bit when the sun peeked out just after midday but picked up again when the clouds returned at 1300 hrs. After heading back up our second slick at 1300 hrs, we motored straight back for port, stopping for one or more Humpback Whales over the shelf before docking at 1520 hrs. Water temperature was a fairly constant 14.3 degrees from inshore to out wide. Mammals: Humpback Whale: at least 1 (possibly another) heading south in offshore waters. The depth sounder showed it travelling right beneath the boat. Australian/New Zealand Fur Seal: About a dozen on the Hippolyte and 1 big bull showed briefly at the back of the boat in pelagic waters. Birds (IOC v 4.2 – max at one time in brackets): Antipodean Albatross: 6 (2) All adult male Gibson’s, all in pelagic waters. Southern Royal Albatross: 4 (1) 3 pelagic, 1 offshore in the afternoon. NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS: 2 (1) 1 in deep pelagic waters and a second well inside the shelf break in the afternoon. Black-browed Albatross: 2 (1) 2 juvenile birds in pelagic waters. Another Black-browed type seen in offshore waters in the morning by one observer. Campbell Albatross: 3 (2) An adult and two immatures in pelagic waters. Shy Albatross: c. 100 (43) 1 inshore in the morning, 9 offshore, the remainder pelagic. At least 3 juveniles amongst the throng. SALVIN’S ALBATROSS: 2 (1) 2 immatures in pelagic waters. Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 5 (2) 2 juveniles offshore; 2 juveniles and an immature with an incomplete yellow bill stripe in pelagic waters. Buller’s Albatross: 1 offshore in the afternoon. SOUTHERN GIANT PETREL: 1 A spectacular white morph with no dark flecks in its plumage (but dark eyes and bluish webbing to feet). Close inshore in the afternoon. Northern Giant Petrel: 8 (5) 7 in pelagic waters, 1 inshore in the afternoon. 2 adults, the remainder immature. Fairy Prion: c. 250 (c. 70) 40-odd offshore in the morning, a dozen or so in pelagic waters and large rafts offshore in the afternoon. Great-winged Petrel: 1 in pelagic waters; race *gouldi*. White-headed Petrel: 1 in pelagic waters. White-chinned Petrel: c. 70 (39) 2 offshore in the morning, remainder pelagic, many of which followed the boat between stops. Sooty Shearwater: 3 Pelagic. Short-tailed Shearwater: c. 5000 (c. 300) Omnipresent in all waters, although nowhere near as common in offshore waters as last month. Hutton’s Shearwater: 1 offshore in the afternoon. Also a couple of Flutton’s-type birds seen by one observer in pelagic waters. Wilson’s Storm Petrel: c. 15 (7) 1 well offshore in the morning, remainder pelagic. White-faced Storm Petrel: 1 pelagic. Black-faced Cormorant: c.420 (c. 150) 18 inshore in the morning, c. 400 on the Hippolytes, 2 offshore in the morning and 1 pelagic. Australasian Gannet: c. 105 (c. 40) 7 inshore in the morning, c. 80 on the Hippolytes, 12 offshore in the morning and 4 pelagic. White-bellied Sea Eagle: 1 flying west from the Hippolyte in the morning. Silver Gull: c. 150 (c.30) Inshore and on the Hippolytes. Pacific Gull: 2 (2) Adults on the Hippolyte. Kelp Gull: c. 100 (c. 40) 21 inshore in the morning, c. 70 on the Hippolyte and 8 offshore in the morning. Caspian Tern: 1 flying north inshore in the morning; seen by one observer. An uncommon sight on Eaglehawk trips. Greater Crested Tern: c. 185 (c. 100) c. 65 inshore in the morning; c. 120 on Cheverton (Little Hippolyte) Rock, 7 offshore in the morning; 1 pelagic. Skua sp.: A Brown Skua-type bird seen in inshore waters north of the Hippolyte. Parasitic Jaeger: 5 (2) 2 in pelagic waters (light morph), 3 offshore in the afternoon (2 dark morph, 1 light morph) PB