Eaglehawk Pelagic, Dec 5th 2015

Trip report from the quiet Eaglehawk trip of a couple of weekends ago. Participants: Ruth Brozek, Karen Dick, Darryl Eggins, Ernie Hacker, Ian Halliday, Rob Hamilton, Mona Loofs-Samorzewski, Glen Pacey, Lynn Richardson, R. Bruce Richardson, Nicole Sommer, Els Wakefield, and Paul Brooks (organiser and report compiler) Boat: The Pauletta, skippered by John Males, with deckhand Michael Males. Activity: Left port at 0715 hrs to circumnavigate the Hippolytes. We reached our first berley point, beyond the shelf break east of the Hippolytes, around 0915 hrs; the depth was 280 fathoms. Berleyed here until 1040 hrs with various fish frames and tuna oil. After drifting out to 375 fathoms we headed north at 1040 hrs to berley again over 550 fathoms. We travelled back up the slick at 1230 hrs before heading back into the shelf break to berley over 85 fathoms for 10 minutes from 1300 hrs. Motored straight back to port to dock at 1450 hrs. Conditions: The strong westerlies during the week gave way to moderate southerlies the day before the trip which continued for us. A 10 knot southerly inshore increased to 10-15 knots offshore with a swell of 1.5 metres and seas rarely topping a metre. As we crossed the shelf, the swell increased to 2 metres with seas rising. The viewing conditions were dull under the overcast sky and the first of some patches of drizzle came through. Just after we moved to our second stop, the wind picked up to 25 knots and freshened before swinging around easterly and bringing more drizzle not long after. By the time we headed back for port the wind had swung back SSE and dropped back to 15-20 knots. Water temperature was 15.3 deg C inshore, increasing to 15.8 deg C in deep water. Mammals: Oceanic Bottlenose Dolphin: pod of about 20 individuals breaching around the boat inshore. Australian/New Zealand Fur Seal: 7 (3) 6 on the Hippolytes and another inshore. Birds (IOC v 4.2 – max at one time in brackets): Southern Royal Albatross: 4 (2) All pelagic. Black-browed Albatross: 3 (2) 1 sub-adult, an immature and a juvenile in pelagic waters. Shy Albatross: c. 60 (33) 1 inshore in the morning; 4 offshore; remainder pelagic. Southern Giant Petrel: 1 A juvenile in pelagic waters. Northern Giant Petrel: 5 (4) All immatures in pelagic waters. White-headed Petrel: Distant views of one bird in pelagic waters. White-chinned Petrel: c. 20 (15) All in pelagic waters. Sooty Shearwater: 4 All pelagic. Short-tailed Shearwater: c. 5000 (c. 300) Absent inshore but very common otherwise. White-faced Storm Petrel: 1 pelagic. Black-faced Cormorant: c.510 (c. 150) 10 inshore in the morning; c. 500 on the Hippolytes. Australasian Gannet: 12 (6) 1 inshore in the morning; 6 on the Hippolytes; 1 pelagic. White-bellied Sea Eagle: 1 perched in a eucalypt just inside Pirates Bay in the afternoon. Sooty Oystercatcher: 1 on a rock shelf outside Pirates Bay. Silver Gull: c. 210 (c.80) Inshore and on the Hippolytes. Pacific Gull: 4 (2) 2 adults inshore, 3 adults on The Hippolytes. Kelp Gull: 7 (2) 2 inshore in the morning; 4 around the Hippolyte and a juvenile offshore in the afternoon. Greater Crested Tern: 15 (3) 2 at the Hippolytes, 8 pelagic and 5 offshore in the afternoon. Jaeger sp.: 1 A bird seen distantly inshore in the morning looked like a dark morph Parasitic Jaeger but too far away to be certain. Welcome Swallow: 2 (2) Hawking around the top of the Hippolyte. PB