Hi all,
Here a summary of yesterday’s Sydney pelagic on Hal Epstein’s Halicat, 8th December 2012: Pictures will be posted here: http://www.adarman.com/Pelagics/New-South-Wales-Pelagics Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 5 (never more than two at a time) Wandering-type Albatross: 4+ (most likely all Gibson’s, one possibly Antipodean) Black-browed Albatross: 1 (1st/2nd year) Campbell Albatross: 3 (all 1st/2nd year) Shy Albatross: 2 (adult) White-chinned Petrel: 1 Wedge-tailed Shearwater: x Flesh-footed Shearwater: 2 (never more than one at a time – very low number) Sooty Shearwater: 2 (on the way out; didn’t get good looks – bulky appearance, heavy wing-load and contrasting silver flashes [the three parallel bars on the inner underwing coverts were not seen due to observation angle]) Short-tailed Shearwater: x (still southbound migration) Hutton’s Shearwater: 1 Grey-faced Petrel (Great-winged Petrel P. m. gouldi): x Providence Petrel: 1 (pristine plumage, late) Little Penguin: 1 (seen by only one observer) Australasian Gannet: 3 (2 adult, one 2nd year bird) Little Black Cormorant: 2 Pomarine Jaeger: 6 Arctic Jaeger: 2 Long-tailed Jaeger: 1 Sooty Tern: 1 Sterna spec.: 1 (very white secondaries, sharply defined narrow black trailing edge to primaries ruled out Common; looked a bit to bulky for Arctic; maybe a late White-fronted?) Crested Tern: x Silver Gull: only a few in the harbour Short-beaked Common Dolphin: 12 Pygmy Killer Whale: 30 Flying Fish spec.: 5 Sunfish: 3 (most likely all Mola ramsayi)
Cheers,
Nikolas for all on the Halicat
