• Saturday 29th October 2011 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

    Saturday 29th October 2011 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
    Report prepared by: Lindsay E. Smith.
    Departed: 0710 hrs
    Return 1610 hrs

    Sea conditions: 2 0-3m a on a 1.5m swell from the east.
    Swell: Easterly to 1.5metres - 2.0 metres offshore.

    Weather: Overcast for most of the day.

    Temperature range: 16-26 0 °C.

    Barometric pressure: 1020Hp

    Wind: North east 15 - 20 knots rising to 30knts later in the afternoon

    Sea surface temperature: 18.6°- 20.6°.

    Primary chumming location 240 Fathoms Lat 34.21.491 Long 151.21.477

    Summary:
    A high pressure system had moved away from the coast overnight with northerly winds in the morning. The winds had abated to 10 knots before increasing to 25-30knots in the afternoon.

    There were very few birds inshore a few Crested Terns and the occasional Fluttering and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, one or two Black-browed Albatrosses (juveniles) followed in our wake. Conditions for birds were generally quite good, however the early light was very poor and conditions were far from ideal for seeing the birds.

    Crested Terns were present in small parties and these were joined by two White-fronted terns, a lone Common Tern and a single Pomarine Jaeger.

    Hump-backed Whales, mainly females with calfs in twos and threes were observed inshore.

    As we reached the Trap reef there was a pod of about 30 very small Common Dolphins?? (Poor light did not allow for identification to be confirmed)

    From the Trap reef we headed out over the abysmal plain towards the continental shelf break here again birds were few despite a late Brown Skua and a couple of Australasian Gannets paying us a brief visit. Small flocks (20-40 birds) of Short-tailed shearwaters were observed heading south as were a couple of Sooty shearwaters. Wedge-tailed shearwater numbers increased to several hundred birds (most appeared to be non-breeding birds).

    With few birds present we continued out to 240 Fathoms before turning back for shore. The wind picked up at 1330hrs and so did the birds. Wandering, Antipodean, Shy, Black browed and a juvenile Campbell Albatross were added to the list as was Solander’s, Grey-faced, two Cape Petrels and a few Wilson’s Storm-petrels.

    .At last the list for the day was beginning to look respectable. A few common Dolphins nd distant Hump-backed whales were observed on the run back to shore.

    Thank you to all that attended the day. We hope it was a pleasant and memorable day for all.
    Lindsay

    Birds recorded according to the Environment Australia Reporting Schedule:

    Species code: Species name: Numbers:
    (Note: numbers in parenthesis = highest count at any one time)
    063 Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus 5 (3)
    069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus 300+ (>200)
    068 Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia 30+ (10+)
    913 Hutton’s Shearwater Puffinus huttoni 4 (2)
    069 Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris 100’s (20+)
    070 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus 6 (3)
    072 Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes 3 (3)
    075 Grey-faced Petrel Pterodroma m.gouldi 1 (1)
    971 Solander’s Petrel Pterodroma solanderi 1 (1)
    080 Cape Petrel Daption c.australe 2 (2)
    086 Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans 4 (3)
    847. Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antiopdensis 1 (1)
    088 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris 4+ Adults and Juveniles
    859 Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida 1 (1)
    091 Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta 1 (1)
    861 White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi 2 (2)
    104 Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 6 (2)
    106 Australian Pelican Pelecannus conspicillatus 8 (6) in harbour
    115 Crested Tern Sterna bergi 20+
    114 White-fronted Tern Sterna striata 6 (4)
    125 Silver Gull Larus noveahollandia 100’s
    981 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 3 (2)
    8698 Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi 2 (1)
    945 Pomarine Jaeager Stercorarius pomarinus 3 (2)
    128 Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus 2 (1)

    Mammals
    Common Dolphin
    Hump-backed Whale
    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 regular SOSSA Wollongong Pelagic Trips. Which departs on the 4th Saturday of each month. Contact: SOSSA: Phone 02 4272 4626 Email: sossa@tpg.com.au For further information in regards to other trips.
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