Hi All, below is the report for last Saturdays’ Southport Pelagic.
Cheers – Paul W.
Location: Southport
Date: 9/8/2014
Vessel: 37 ft Steber monohull MV Grinner
Crew: Craig Newton (skipper)
Pax: Paul Walbridge (leader & organise), Rob Morris, Glen Pacey, Rob
Hyson, Gus Daley, Andrew Sutherland, Louise Ashton, Elliot Leach, Todd
Burrows, Judy Leitch, Mike Bysouth
Weather conditions:
A strong high over the northern Tasman Sea extended a weak ridge up the
southern Queensland coast bringing moderate S-ESE winds, variable 10-20
knots. Light cloud early in the day increasing to heavier by late
morning with frequent squally showers both coastal and out wide.
Visibility in the main quite good, maximum air temp. 22* C, barometer
1032 hPa.
Sea conditions:
Seas calm close in on less than 1 metre swell, increasing to 1 metre
seas, on 1.8 metre swell out wide. Sea surface temps. 18.5* C at the
Seaway rising to 22* C out wide, EAC running at less than one knot.
Summary:
Left the Southport Seaway at 0630 hrs and headed ENE to the Riviera
Grounds but instead stopped for the final drift just short of there at
0945 hrs. Drifted slowly to the NW and back onto the shelf until 1230
hrs, then headed back home. Arrived back at the seaway at 1450 hrs,
total time of excursion 8 hrs 20 mins.
On leaving the seaway just one or two Australasian Gannets and Crested
Terns milling around until at 0640 hrs the first returning trawler was
encountered, which had little of note behind it save for the first seven
returning Wedge-tailed Shearwaters for the Spring and not unexpected.
Nothing new then until 0650 hrs when first of all a solitary Fluttering
Shearwater, then the first of many Hutton*s Shearwaters, numbering six
passed astern, heading north. Crossing the shelf over the next hour and
a half produced just a few more Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and
Australasian Gannets.
At 0820 hrs and still well on the shelf the first Kermadec Petrel of
the day passed astern of the vessel, heading southward followed 20
minutes later by yet another Kermadec and the first Providence Petrel.
At 0920 hrs and close to the shelf-break another Kermadec Petrel
appeared followed closely by a Great-winged Petrel. There were huge
amounts of baitfish appearing on the vessels sounder and Australasian
Gannets were being encountered both foraging and loafing on the water,
when at 0940 hrs a White-faced Storm-Petrel appeared from the south.
Shortly after at 0945 hrs it was decided to come to a halt and drift,
somewhat short of the Riviera Grounds but birds could be seen all around
us at a distance and there was extensive baitfish shoals present.
Almost immediately we were joined by a second Great-winged Petrel,
followed a few minutes later by yet another Kermadec Petrel, a couple
more Providence Petrels and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. By 1010 hrs
Providence Petrel numbers had built up to five in the slick along with
small numbers of both Wedge-tailed and Hutton*s Shearwaters when, at
1025 hrs the first three of several Common Noddies for the day appeared,
obviously interested in the large numbers of baitfish present.
Surprisingly, it wasn*t until 1055 hrs that the first Wilson*s
Storm-Petrel arrived, a bird in extremely heavy wing moult, as were
several others that followed. At 1110 hrs the sole Black-bellied
Storm-Petrel for the day approached astern but uncharacteristically
didn*t hang around for long. Five minutes later, in quick succession a
couple more Kermadec petrels arrive in the slick, yet another all dark
bird and the only intermediate bird for the day.
A few more Providence Petrels, Wilson*s Storm-Petrels and
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were still arriving when at 1145 hrs yet
another two White-faced Storm-Petrels arrived one after the other. These
three birds are the first August records for this species off Southport
and it*s becoming apparent that there could be a shift in the
wintering distribution for this species. Over the next three quarters of
an hour nothing much else appeared except for a few more Common Noddies,
Providence Petrels, Wilson*s Stor
