Day: June 28, 2010

26th June 2010, SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.

Departed: 07:15 returned at 16:00. Sea conditions: NW to 0.5m at first rising to SE 2.0m in the afternoon. Swell: NE 1.0 to 1.5m prior to the southerly change. Weather: Cloudy at first but clearing around midday. Temperature range: 14.9 to 18.4°C. Barometric pressure: 1016 HPa rising. Wind: northwesterly to 10 knots at first backing to the south and rising to 20 knots at midday. Sea surface temperature: 17.8 to 19.6°C. Primary chumming location: 34° 41’S : 151° 10’E.

Summary:

A slow moving high-pressure system was located in the northern Tasman Sea and a fast-moving cold front passed through the region late in the morning ahead of a weak trough. These features combined to produce cloudy conditions with offshore winds during the morning and clear skies following a southerly change at midday. Large numbers of seabirds were inshore, many of which followed us out to the edge of the continental slope. The cold front brought further species and greater numbers that gave us an entertaining trip back to port.

Giant Petrels, Fairy Prions and Black-browed Albatross were foraging close inshore. Large numbers of seabirds were feeding outside Wollongong Reef including several Gibson’s Albatross. A single Hutton’s was spotted amongst hundreds of Fluttering Shearwater.

The large flock of seabirds that followed us out to sea attracted several Brown Skuas. As we approached the edge of the continental shelf we recruited more albatross in ever increasing numbers. A stunning adult SALVIN’S ALBATROSS circled us so we hove to and set up a drift-and-berley session. We attracted a modest flock of Fairy Prions, a solitary SOLANDER’S PETREL and, of course, lots more albatross!

The southerly change arrived as we started the motor for the trip back to the harbour. Among the arrivals in its wake were a New Zealand Cape Petrel, several adult BULLER’S and 2 juvenile SALVIN’S ALBATROSS.

Highlights:

A pleasant winter day that was dominated by numerous albatross; 10 species were recorded in all that included WANDERING, ANTIPODEAN, BULLER’S, and SALVIN’S ALBATROSS.

Birds recorded according to the latest Environment Australia Reporting Schedule:

Species code: Species name: Numbers:

(Note: numbers in parenthesis = highest count at any one time)

005 Little Penguin Eudyptula minor 1 929 SOUTHERN GIANT-PETREL Macronectes giganteus 2 (1) 937 NORTHERN GIANT-PETREL M. halli 5 (2) 080 New Zealand Cape Petrel Daption capense australe 1 971 SOLANDER’S PETREL Pterodroma solandri 1 083 Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur 280+ (50+) 068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 2000+ (1500+) 913 Hutton’s Shearwater P. huttoni (2) 1 086 WANDERING ALBATROSS Diomedea exulans 5 (3) 846 ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS D. antipodensis 1 847 Gibson’s Albatross D. gibsoni 14 (8) 088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 57 (42) 859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 14 (8) 931 BULLER’S ALBATROSS T. bulleri 3 (1) 091 Shy Albatross T. cauta 24 (15) 861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 5 (3) 862 SALVIN’S ALBATROSS T. salvini 3 (2) 089 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 41 (25) 104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 14 (5) 106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 1 980 Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi 10 (5) 981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 4 (4) 125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 67 (36) 115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 13 (7)

In the harbour:

100 Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 1 106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 2 (2) 981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 1 adult 115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 1

17 species of procellariiformes in a total of 24 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater.

Other birds

None

Mammals

New Zealand Fur Seal Arctocephalus forsteri 1

Reptiles

None

Fish

None

For previous trip reports and selected images from this trip visit http://www.sossa-international.org/

Future Trips

All Pelagic Trips from NSW are operated at no profit to the organizers, being operated as group boat charters for the benefit of all who wish to join us. If you would like to join one of these trips please contact us as detailed below:

To make a booking on the SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic Trips that departs on the 4th Saturday of each month contact:

SOSSA: Phone 02 4271 6004. Email: sossa@tpg.com.au

Carl Loves Phone: 0427 423 500 fishing@wollongong.hotkey.net.au

Pete Milburn: Mobile 0428 249 506, 02 6255 1313 (AH) or 02 6125 4173 (BH) peter.milburn@anu.edu.au

Note: SOSSA = Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association

— Dr P.J Milburn Technology Specialist Australian Cancer Research Foundation Biomolecular Resource Facility John Curtin School of Medical Research Australian National University GPO Box 334 Canberra ACT 0200 ‘Phone +61 2 6125 4326 FAX +61 2 6125 9533 ============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au

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Forgot to mention that the Coopers Creek punt on the Birdsville track doesn’t take trailers / camper trailers / caravans etc, only single vehicles. cheers Peter ===============================

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Paul, some further information for you.

a. East Gippsland BOC Members of the East Gippsland Bird Observation and Conservation would be worth talking to as fruit-doves turn almost regularly now in that part of the state and I know many of the bird sightings from this area are not reported to Birdline though most are formally recorded for the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife. In past discussions with rainforest biologists such fruit-eating birds are now considered a natural part of East Gippsland bird fauna.

Link – EGBOC – http://www.egboc.org.au/site/index.php

b. Atlas of Victorian Birds (1987) It’s always worth reading the entries in this old atlas, for habitat and other information on Victorian birds. The book has Superb, Rose-crowned, Topknot, Brown Cuckoo-dove and Emerald Dove as the rainforest birds recorded for Victoria at that time. Since then of course we’ve also had White-headed Pigeon as a ‘regualr’ now for the state.

c. Atlas of Victorian Wildlife (AVW) The AVW and Birds Australia atlasses would be interesting to interrogate for distribution information as there are now many records of such species now recorded from near Melbourne as well though I’m not aware of any observations west of Melbourne.

If you turn up any records in your research that have not been atlassed be sure to send them though for atlassing! With climate change and rainforest restoration we can expect increasing records of these species I suspect.

cheers, Martin

Martin O’Brien Wildlife Biologist – Threatened Species & Communities Section Department of Sustainability and Environment 2/8 Nicholson St., East Melbourne 3002 VICTORIA

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