Sydney, NSW Pelagic Trip Report 8th July 2000
Conditions,
Departed at 7.30 am and returned at approx. 3.00 pm.
Sea Conditions: Calm - slight swell under 1m.
Weather: Overcast - fine
Wind: Light winds to 5 Knots
Water temperature 18.0 degrees C on the shelf
Summary,
A most pleasant day, starting off with some fine Hump-backed Whale sightings off Botany Bay, before heading to the shelf. Highlight bird wise was a very obliging Juvenile Grey-headed Albatross. A species that is always hard to come by in Australia. There should be plenty of good photos around of this one as it circled the boat time and time again.
Birds,
(Note: numbers in brackets = highest count at any one time)
005 Little Penguin 2 (1)
086 Wandering Albatross (perhaps all exulans stage 1,4 &5)
088 Black-browed Albatross (melanophyrs) 20+ (6)
091 Shy Albatross 1
089 Yellow-nosed Albatross (bassi) 30+ (10)
--- GREY-HEADED ALBATROSS 1 Juvenile
073 Great-winged Petrel 1
971 Providence Petrel 5 (1)
068 Fluttering Shearwater 4 (3)
913 Hutton's Shearwater 8 (3)
--- Hutton's / Fluttering Type 10+
114 White-fronted Tern 4 (1)
115 Crested Tern 10+ (7)
125 Silver Gull 20+ mostly in the harbour
980 Great Skua 1
099 Pied Cormorant 1 in the harbour
097 Little Black Cormorant 70-80 in the harbour
106 Australian Pelican 2 in the harbour
Mammals,
Hump-backed Whale 5
Tony Palliser