SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
Saturday 28TH JULY 2012
Report prepared by: Lindsay E. Smith.
Departed: 0720 hrs
Return 1530 hrs
Sea conditions: Swell 1.5-2 metres from the south west easing in the afternoon
Weather: Fine with scattered cloud
Temperature range: 8.0 - 15 0 °C.
Barometric pressure: 1010Hp rising later in the day
Wind: West-SW tending to southerly in the afternoon
Sea surface temperature: 16.0 in harbour 20.4° in 80-90 Fathoms (160-180 M.)
Current From the North at 1.6 knots
Primary chumming location 90 Fathoms
Summary:
A great winters day for birding, with very good numbers of Black-browed and Campbell albatrosses and large numbers of Fairy Prions, Fluttering and Hutton’s Shearwaters in-shore.
Conditions at sea were a little uncomfortable for the banding team. There were a number of previously banded birds about, including a Brown Skua, a Southern Giant-Petrel and a Black-browed albatross. The Southern Giant Petrel was captured. It had been banded by scientists using US Fish & Wildlife Service, most likely on the Antarctic Peninsular (Palmer Station).
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 1
937 Northern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes halli 1
083 Fairy Prion, Pachyptila turtur 500+
070 Sooty Shearwater, Puffinus griseus 2
068 Fluttering Shearwater, Puffinus gavial 400+
913 Hutton’s Shearwater, Puffinus huttoni 20+
086 Wandering Albatross. Diomedea exulans 2
846 Antipodean Albatross. Diomedea antipodensis 2
091 Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta 2+
088 Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophrys 20+
859 Campbell Albatross, Thalassarche impavida 15+
931 Buller’s Albatross, Thalassarche bulleri 2
864 Indian yellow-nosed Albatross, Thalassarche bassi 3+
104 Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator 9+
100 Little Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 3
099 Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax varius 1
097 Little black Cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 7
096 Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo 3
106 Australian Pelican, Pelicanus conspicillatus 100+ (most on 5 islands)
980 Brown Skua, Catharacta skua 3
981 Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus 6
125 Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae 100’s
115 Crested Tern, Sterna bergii 20+
Mammals
Hump-backed Whales 2
A pod of about 8+ Short-beaked Common Dolphins
Fur Seals sp. 2 species not determined
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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.