Trip report: Eaglehawk Neck pelagic Saturday 28th January 2017

Hi All,
Here’s the trip report for last Saturday.
Rohan Clarke

BIRDLIFE AUSTRALIA PELAGIC TRIP OFF EAGLEHAWK NECK, TAS
Saturday 28th Jan 2017

OBSERVERS: Tim Bawden, Chris Burwell, Arthur Carew, Denise Carew, Karen
Dick, Annette Hatten, David James, Brian Johnston, Elliot Leach, Jon
Norling, Peter Vaughan, Els Wakefield & Rohan Clarke (organiser and
report compiler).

WEATHER: 100 % cloud cover in the AM clearing to 50% cloud cover by
midday. Mild to warm with a 5 knot south westerly wind for much of the
morning. A front built through the day on the horizon to the south-west
and eventually passed through at about 1300 with the wind increasing to
10-15 knots and generating some spray.

SEA: Pretty much the same as yesterday. Almost flat in inshore waters
(0.2 m swell, 0.5 m sea) increasing to a comfortable 1.0 m swell in
offshore waters. Beyond the shelf a SW swell of 1.5-2.0 m was present
but the broad interval meant we didn’t rock and roll much. Some wind
driven chop and a bit of spray on the return leg given the wind
associated with the passing of a weak front.

ACTIVITY: Departed Pirates Bay Wharf at 0705. Did much the same route as
the previous day heading out to the Hippolytes before continuing in an
easterly direction to the shelf and beyond. We crossed the shelf break
(100 fathoms) at 0850 before making our first drift and berley session
at 43º14.08’S 148º13.14’E over 310 fathoms. We stayed here for 1hr 50
mins before moving further east to 43º15.30’S 148º16.04’E over 640
fathoms. At 1151 we moved back to the shelf break (100 fathoms) for a
third berley session at 43º12.09’S 148º12.21’E. Started heading in at
1320 to dock just after 1500.

MAMMALS: Common Dolphin: 3 small pods, each containing 4 to 5 animals.
Over 38 and 56 fathoms in the AM and then over 90 fathoms in the PM.

Australian Fur Seals: About 50 on the Hippolytes. Another 15 at sea that
were not identified to species.

NZ Fur Seal: About 5 on the Hippolytes.

BIRDS: 26 species beyond the entrance to Pirates Bay is about average
for a Tasmanian pelagic. Best were the good numbers of storm-petrels,
the Southern Royal and NZ Wandering Albatross. Normally with pelagic
double headers off Eaglehawk Neck the species turnover between
consecutive days is about 3-4 species. On this occasion the similarities
between the two days in both the species list and the numbers involved
was striking.

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 7 (2). 1 offshore, remainder pelagic.

White-faced Storm-Petrel: 100 (55). 14 offshore in the AM, remainder
pelagic.

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel: 17 (10). 1 offshore, remainder pelagic.

New Zealand Wandering Albatross: 2 gibsoni type at the first berley point.

SOUTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS: 1 immature at the first and second berley point.

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 1 adult at the first berley point.

Black-browed Albatross: 2(1). 2 different immatures on plumage. Both
pelagic.

Shy Albatross: 120 (55). 4 adults inshore, 9 adults offshore, remainder
pelagic. Mostly adult but at least 5 immature birds in pelagic waters.
As with the previous day a careful scan a couple of times at berley
points across 20+ adults revealed just one to two individuals with an
obvious yellow base to the bill that I consider definite cauta.

Buller’s Albatross: 15 (5). 1 inshore, 3 offshore, remainder pelagic.
All adult.

Northern Giant Petrel: 4 (4). All pelagic. All immature though one older
than the others.

Fairy Prion: 20 (10). 8 offshore, remainder pelagic.

Grey-faced Petrel 1 pelagic seen briefly by some. Another
Great-winged/Grey-faced Petrel seen in offshore waters in the PM. These
were our only Pterodromas across two days of pelagics which is very
unusual for a summer pelagic off here.

Short-tailed Shearwater: ~4000 (1000). 2 inshore in the AM, 1500
offshore, remainder passing by in pelagic waters.

Sooty Shearwater: 12 (3). All pelagic.

Hutton’s Shearwater: 4 (1). All pelagic.

Fluttering Shearwater: 5 (1). 1 inshore, 2 offshore, 3 pelagic.

Common Diving Petrel: 5 (2). 3 inshore, 2 offshore

White-chinned Petrel: 30 (15). All pelagic.

Little Penguin: 2 (3) 3 offshore in the PM.

Australasian Gannet: 24 (17) All inshore in the AM. Also 15 on the
Hippolytes.

Black-faced Cormorant: 10 (6). 4 inshore, 6 offshore. Also an estimated
2100 ashore and immediately adjacent to the Hippolytes.

Arctic Jaeger: 1 inshore in the AM.

Crested Tern: 5 (2). 2 inshore, 1 offshore and 2 pelagic. Also 6 on the
Hippoloytes.

Kelp Gull: 24 (10). 20 inshore and 4 offshore in the AM and 30 at the
Hippolytes.

Pacific Gull: 2 adults inshore in the AM and 1 adult at the Hipploytes.

Silver Gull: 29 (10). 20 inshore, 5 offshore and 8 pelagic. Also about
25 around the Hippolytes. (Conditions are typically too calm for ‘good’
seabirds when you get silver gulls beyond the shelf off Tassie).

—
Rohan Clarke
www.wildlifeimages.com.au

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