SOSSA pelagic off Wollongong, 25th August 2012
Report prepared by Nikolas Haass
Highlight: 12 Humpback Whales played with the Sandra K for an hour! They were all around and under the boat. Very exciting!
Birds:
White-faced Storm-petrel: 1(1)
Wandering Albatross (exulans): 1 (1)
Black-browed Albatross: many (not a single Campbell Albatross)
Shy/White-capped Albatross: many (some were very fresh juveniles, possibly steadi)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 6 (2)
Fairy Prion: 2 (1)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater: many
Sooty Shearwater: 1 (1)
Fluttering Shearwater: many (10-20% of all Fluttering-types, in contrast to the Newcastle sightings the same weekend)
Hutton’s Shearwater: hundreds (80-90% of all Fluttering-types, in contrast to the Newcastle sightings the same weekend)
Australasian Gannet: 10 +
Australian Pelican: present
White-fronted Tern: 8
Crested Tern: many
Silver Gull: hundreds
Little Black Cormorant: 10
15 species sighted outside the harbour
Mammals:
Fur-seal spec.: 6 (2) (based on head shape, one likely an Australian, another likely a New Zealand Fur-seal; the remaining four unclear)
Humpback Whale: 12
Short-beaked Common Dolphin: many
Oceanic Bottlenose Dolphin: one pod
Fish:
Marlin: 1 (seen by only one observer)