• 27th May, 2007 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

    Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.

    Departed: 07:15 returned at approx. 15:50 .
    Sea conditions: calm at first to 0.5m NW to NE during the day.
    Swell: negligible inshore and less than 0.5m ESE offshore.
    Weather: Brilliant late autumn sunshine all day.
    Temperature range: 15.9 to 23.1°C.
    Barometric pressure: 1019 HPa steady.
    Wind: NW breeze to 7 knots at first and 5 knots NE in the afternoon.
    Sea surface temperature: 20.7 to 22.8°C.
    Primary chumming location: S 34° 20’ – E 151° 22’.

    Summary:

    Anticyclonic conditions persisted over southeastern Australia continuing very stable conditions and warm northerly breezes. The sea surface temperature continued to be much warmer than average for the time of year.

    Outside the harbour the ocean was perfectly calm and a couple of Great Cormorants that had been out fishing early were flying back towards land. An Australian Fur-Seal was also foraging over the inshore reefs despite the warm water conditions. There must have been plenty of fish around because shortly afterwards we saw a couple of Inshore Bottle-nosed Dolphins that were too busy to ride in our bow wave.

    Outside Wollongong Reef single Black-browed and Indic-Yellow-nosed Albatross joined us. Australasian Gannets were heading northwards in groups, seemingly toward a common destination. We followed them to the northeast for a while but there was no sign of shoaling fish within our cruising range.

    Upon reaching deeper water the first of several adult Campbell Albatrosses joined us and Solander’s Petrels were patrolling the edge of the continental shelf. A drift-and-berley session produced species only a solitary Short-tailed Shearwater to add to the species tally for the day.

    The return leg of our voyage produced the usual group of Kelp Gulls.

    Another very pleasant day on the ocean but numbers, Australasian Gannets aside, and species diversity were low.

    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)

    971 Solander’s Petrel Pterodroma solandri 6 (3)
    068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 2 (1)
    071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 1
    088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 3 (2)
    859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 3 (2)
    864Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T.carteri 10 (6)
    096 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 2 (2)
    104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 298 (81)
    981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 5 (4)
    125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 300+ (75+)
    115 Crested Tern Sterna bergii 11 (4)

    In the harbour:

    100 Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 4 (4)
    106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 7 (6)
    11 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater.

    Other birds:

    207 Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus 1

    Mammals:

    Inshore Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops aduncus 2 (2)

    Reptiles:

    None

    Fish:

    None
  • Slideshow