Here's what was seen outside the harbour on the second SOSSA pelagic from Kiama on the MV Kato on Sunday 28 June 2015. It uses the BARC Australian Checklist (v2015 Jan. based on IOC v5.1) for taxonomy, nomenclature & order of species and gives fairly conservative numbers. For the commoner species the numbers are estimates. There's also a .jpg file from Google Earth showing our route.
Campbell Albatross
Leaving at 07.30 hrs, we travelled at c. 8.5 knots/16 kph out past the shelf edge to 34° 41’ 14” S; 151° 12’ 00” E, 31 km E of Kiama harbour in 290 m+ pelagic waters, where we stopped chummed, caught and banded a Buller’s Albatross, drifting c. 100m E in a weak current, 09.50-10.22 hrs, then moved further east out to 34° 44’ 30” S; 151° 12’ 57” E, 33.5 km E of the harbour in 300m+ pelagic waters, where we stopped, chummed, caught and banded 1 Shy Albatross, 1 Buller’s Albatross and several Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, drifting 600m E, 10.50-11.50 hrs, then moved a short distance away and tried unsuccessfully to lure in an immature Northern Giant Petrel, 12.00-12.25 hrs. We then turned back in closer to the shelf edge, travelling to 34° 43’ 42” S; 151° 08’ 20” E, 26.3 km E of the harbour in 200m+ waters, where we stopped and chummed without being able to attract much birdlife, 12.55-13.55 hrs, then continued back into the harbour, arriving at 15.35 hrs.
Gibson's Albatross
Seas fairly calm with a low 1 m swell from the south. Sea temperature 19° inshore and out at the shelf edge.
847 Antipodean Albatross 1 (1) thought to be a female gibsoni
088 Black-browed Albatross 5+ (2) adults
859 Campbell Albatross 2+ (1) adults
Black-browed/Campbell Albatross 1 (1) young bird
091 Shy Albatross 5+ (2) both cauta and steadi considered present, based on bill colour, outer underwing colouration and moult
864 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 20+ (14) almost all adults, but 1 immature present
931 Buller’s Albatross 4 (2) adults
937 Northern Giant Petrel 1 (1) immature
080 Cape Petrel 1 (1)
083 Fairy Prion 50+ (5) despite careful scanning, all birds seen were this species
971 Providence Petrel 5+ (2)
068 Fluttering Shearwater 2 (1)
Fluttering/Hutton’s Shearwater 1 (1)
104 Australasian Gannet 20+ (4) adults and immatures
098 Great Cormorant 1 (1) just outside the harbour
125 Silver Gull 10+ (5)
981 Kelp Gull 1 (1) just outside the harbour
Australian Magpie 2 (2) just outside the harbour
We saw a small pod of dolphins and had excellent, close views of several Humpback Whales.
Cheers
Graham Barwell
Shy Albatross