• 7th October 2007, SOSSA WIRES PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

    Report prepared by: P.J. Milburn.

    Departed: 07:15 returned at approx. 15:15.
    Sea conditions: gentle.
    Swell: SSE less than 1.5 to 2.5m.
    Weather: high cloud at first, clearing to bright sunshine.
    Temperature range: 18.3 to 23.8°C.
    Barometric pressure: 1004 HPa rising.
    Wind: variable; 5 to 8 knots S in the morning veering to N the afternoon.
    Sea surface temperature: 18.6 to 21.1°C.
    Primary chumming location: 34° 37’S : 151° 15’E.

    Summary:

    The southerly change that preceded this trip had blown away both the smoke and Bogong Moths of the previous morning and, instead, the morning greeted us with misty conditions.

    An assortment of shearwaters was present over the inshore reefs and several Australian Pelicans were also patrolling between the fishing boats. Two Humpback Whales were making their way south in a leisurely fashion. We had barely cleared Wollongong Reef when firstly a Black-browed, then a Campbell and finally a Gibson’s Albatross cruised past us. A male New Zealand Fur-Seal was basking in the early morning sunshine and the first Sooty Shearwater sighted this spring passed over our wake.

    As we cruised out to the edge of the continental shelf both SHY and White-capped Albatross joined us. Solander’s Petrels were patrolling along the edge of the shelf itself and an ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS appeared as we pulled up to drift at the 350-fathom line.
    Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross appeared eventually and the Solander’s were joined by Grey-faced and a Cape Petrel.

    On our return trip to Wollongong Harbour we encountered several additional seabird species including the first Pomarine Jaegers of the spring season.

    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)

    080 Cape Petrel Daption capense australe 1
    075 Grey-faced Petrel Pterodroma macroptera gouldi 3 (3)
    971 Solander’s Petrel P. solandri 8 (6)
    068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 6 (2)
    913 Hutton’s Shearwater P. huttoni 1
    069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater P. pacificus 24 (15)
    070 Sooty Shearwater P. griseus 1
    071 Short-tailed Shearwater P. tenuirostris 36 (12)
    846 ANTIPODEAN ALBATROSS Diomedea antipodensis 1
    847 Gibson’s Albatross D. gibsoni 8 (4)
    088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys 6 (2)
    859 Campbell Albatross T. impavida 1
    091 SHY ALBATROSS T. cauta 1
    861 White-capped Albatross T. steadi 2 (1)
    089 Indic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. carteri 3 (2)
    104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 5 (3)
    106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 7 (4)
    945 Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus 2 (1)
    981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 3 (3)
    125 Silver Gull L. novaehollandiae 57 (37)
    114 White-fronted Tern Sterna striata 2 (2)
    115 Crested Tern S. bergii 6 (3)
    953 Common Tern S. hirundo 1

    In the harbour:

    096 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 2 (1)
    100 Little Pied Cormorant P. melanoleucos 2 (2)
    106 Australian Pelican Pelicanus conspicillatus 9 (9)
    193 Striated Heron Ardeola striatus macrorhynchus 1

    23 species of seabird identified outside the breakwater.

    Other birds:

    131 Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus 2 (2)

    Mammals:

    New Zealand Fur-Seal Arctocephalus forsteri 1
    Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 2 (2)

    Reptiles:

    None

    Fish:

    None
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