• Saturday 22th July 2017 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, KIAMA, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

    Date / Month: 22nd JULY 2017 Recorded by: Lindsay E. Smith
    Location: Kiama NSW
    Air temp: 8-19c Water temp: 19 Inshore, 19.8 in shelf region Offshore
    Air pressure: 1020Hp Cloud cover: 2/5
    Wind speed and direction: SW 9 knts at 0700hrs before shifting to NW to 20 Knots around mid-day. Sea conditions: 1-1.5 metres, increasing to 2 metres off shore around midday.
    Swell: Southerly 2-3 metres tending to 4-5 metres around midday.

    Comments
    A typical winters day with favourable conditions and very good numbers of birds particularly Albatrosses, Fluttering Shearwaters and Brown Skuas. It was interesting to note the almost total lack of Prions of any species, other than distant glimpses of possible birds which were not confirmed.

    Birds captured and banded for the day Shy Albatross 2 Black-browed Albatross 1 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 2 Brown Skua 3

    Bird list

    Sp No Species Number
    929 Southern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes giganteus - 2 (2)
    937 Northern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes halli - 2 (2)
    971 Providence Petrel, Pterodroma solandri - 8 (3)
    068 Fluttering Shearwater, Puffinus gavia - 100s (40+)
    086 Wandering Albatross Diomeadea exulans - 5+ (3)
    088 Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophrys - 100+ (24)
    859 Campbell Albatross, Thalassarche impavida - 2 (2) Imm
    931 Buller’s Albatross, Thalassarche bulleri - 2 (1)
    091 Shy Albatross, Thalassarche cauta - 40+ (15)
    864 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Thalassarche bassi - 15+(5)
    104 Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator - 100+ (70)
    100 Little Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax melanoleucos - 3
    097 Little black Cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - 4
    096 Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo - 3
    106 Australian Pelican, Pelicanus conspicillatus - 4
    980 Brown Skua, Catharacta Longbergii - 8+ (5)
    125 Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae - 30+
    115 Crested Tern, Sterna bergii - 15-20 (5)

    Mammals
    Common Dolphin. A pod of 6-8 animals inshore.
    Risso’s Dolphin 2-3 pods of 5-9 animals together in 70+Fathoms.
    Fur-Seal 1 in 130+Fathoms, 1 in 70+ Fathoms