• Sunday 26th AUGUST 2012 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, WOLLONGONG, NSW, AUSTRALIA

    SOSSA pelagic off Wollongong, 26th August 2012
    Report prepared by Nikolas Haass

    Highlight: At the shelf break, an Australian Fur-Seal checked us out and after looking into everybody’s face it decided to present its latest tricks. Nice show!

    Birds:

    Wandering Albatross (exulans): 1 (1)
    Gibson’s Albatross (antipodensis gibsoni): 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: 3 (3)
    Fairy Prion: 1 (1)
    Wedge-tailed Shearwater: many
    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)
    Common Diving-petrel: 1 (only seen and photographed by one observer)
    Australasian Gannet: many
    Little Black Cormorant: 10 (1 at the shelf break)
    Australian Pelican: present
    Brown Skua: 1 (1)
    White-fronted Tern: 12
    Common Tern: 2+
    Crested Tern: many
    Kelp Gull: 3 adult
    Silver Gull: hundreds

    19 species sighted outside the harbour

    Striated Heron: 1 (at the harbor entrance)

    Sooty Oystercatcher: 1 (1)


    Mammals:

    Australian Fur-seal: 1
    Short-beaked Common Dolphin: many

    Reptiles:

    Unidentified turtle: 1