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CalendarMottled Petrel
Leaving Kiama Harbour at 07.30 hrs AEDST, we proceeded directly out to the edge of the continental shelf, stopping briefly on the way to investigate large aggregations of shearwaters attracted to pods of Common Dolphins feeding on baitfish. Arriving at 09.37 at our destination, 26.9 km east of Kiama Harbour in 203m (111 fathoms) of shelf edge waters at 34 42 51 S; 151 08 58 E, we began to chum with the usual mixture of chicken mince, oil and fat, in an attempt to attract any birds in the vicinity. We tried a new mixture of tuna and cooking oil today which seemed to work well, forming an lengthy slick over time, as the boat slowly drifted north in the southerly wind. The wind produced choppy conditions, meaning the stationary boat rolled from side to side rather frequently.
This chumming session went on for more than 4 hours, as more birds were drawn in by the large number of shearwaters feeding behind the boat and the banding team worked steadily, banding good numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Grey-faced Petrels and a few feisty Flesh-footed Shearwaters. Over the day more than 70 birds were caught and banded, including later re-traps of birds caught earlier in the morning.
The highlight of the day came around 12.25 hrs when the cry Mottled Petrel was heard and those aboard were treated to excellent views of a most obliging bird, which made a number of passes over the slick. Only a few observers had seen this easily-identified species before, so there was great satisfaction among those lucky enough to be on the trip today.
Having drifted 5.72 km north of our stopping point, we finally turned back at 13.52 hrs, motoring back along the slick to see if there was anything there that hadn't come in closer, before heading back for the harbour. We arrived at the jetty at 15.50 hrs.
Sea conditions were a bit bumpy on the way out in a 1.5-2 m swell and at the shelf edge, but moderated as the day progressed. Sea temperature at the shelf edge was 23 degrees.
Undoubted highlight was the excellent views of a Mottled Petrel, a species not often seen in NSW waters.
Species seen outside the harbour, maximum at any one time in brackets:
063 Wilsons Storm Petrel: 2+ (1)
065 White-faced Storm Petrel: 2+ (1)
091 Shy Albatross: 1 (1) probably a Tasmanian-breeding
075 Grey-faced Petrel:50+ (20+) by far the commonest petrel at the shelf edge; all moulting primaries; many caught & banded
971 Providence Petrel: 1 (1)
919 Mottled Petrel:1 (1)
078 Gould's Petrel:1 (1)
069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater: 1000+ (400+) large numbers today; many would be adults still feeding chicks
070 Sooty Shearwater: 2 (2) brief flyby; not seen by many on board
071 Short-tailed Shearwater: 3 (2) not common today; most birds will be further south
072 Flesh-footed Shearwater: 20+ (5)
068 Fluttering Shearwater: 2 (1)
Fluttering-type Shearwater: 3 (1)
104 Australasian Gannet: 1 (1)
125 Silver Gull:15 (8)
115 Greater Crested Tern: 6 (3)
120 Sooty Tern: 4 (2) at least 1 was a juvenile
945 Pomarine Jaeger: 5 (2)
128 Parasitic Jaeger: 1 (1) not seen by many on board
933 Long-tailed Jaeger: 2 (1)
Several pods of Common Dolphins were seen and a dolphinfish sp. swam under the boat at the shelf edge.
Graham Barwell