Sections
CalendarBoat: 45ft Randell, skippered by Brad Minors
CONDITIONS
A weak low pressure system had been sitting off the central NSW coast for a few days and with it very light winds and small seas. There was barely a sea state to talk of, with the biggest puff of wind barely breaking the 5 knot mark (glassy in some patches). What wind there was started slightly offshore, turning ever so slightly to the north-east in the early afternoon.
Grey-faced Petrel. Photo: Allan Richardson
Sea surface temperature at the shelf was ~24 degrees.
Drift Start: -33.231340 152.268352, drifting 1.6nm south-west (basically along the shelf break) to -33.254879 152.252039.
ACTIVITY
Departed wharf at 7:07am returning at 4:34pm. There was a complete lack of inshore flocks until we encountered the first Flesh-footed Shearwaters about 5 miles out (as often happens). They built to about 25-birds-strong, but after about an hour the number of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters built to outnumber the Fleshies (my personal theory is that these were “Newcastle” birds attracted south). Although we had some early Pterodroma activity at the shelf, there was a general lack of turnover in birds, with the majority of shearwaters having followed us out. Remarkably, the “bird of the day” turned out to be tiny mammal – a Gould’s Wattled Bat, seen flying towards the coast late in the drift (see below).
Flesh-footed Shearwater. Photo: Allan Richardson
BIRDS
15 species recorded outside the heads (including “types”) is below average in terms of diversity and a couple of these species were only seen distantly/briefly. Counts are totals for birds seen outside the heads (with the maximum number visible from the boat at one time in brackets) – many are estimates. Taxonomy follows the BirdLife Australia Working List V2.1.
Wilson’s Storm-petrel: 1. The bird was scrutinised on the boat due to a perceived long-winged/large appearance and lack of foot projection, but this was to be wishful thinking.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater: 200 (35). Slow to arrive, but steady numbers over the course of the day with the largest concentrations seen on the way back in.
Short-tailed Shearwater: 7 (2). Marauding individuals. One bird in deep water.
Flesh-footed Shearwater: 50 (30). Dominated the feeding at the rear of the boat for the first hour and a half after the 5 mile mark.
Fluttering Shearwater: 3 (1). All inshore.
Hutton’s Shearwater: 1. One of the first fluttering-types seen on the outward leg, photographed.
Fluttering-type Shearwater: 3. Flybys unable to be identified.
Solander’s Petrel: 2 (1). A bird arrived after about twenty minutes at the shelf, then after a gap of greater than 30 minutes bird considered to be another individual came in.
Grey-faced Petrel: 8 (4). All pelagic, one bird appeared to have a crooked left wing.
Gould’s Petrel: 1. A bird picked up about 500m to the south of the boat that frustratingly never came any closer.
Sooty Tern: 1. Single adult bird that turned up in the image gallery of one person's photos. Not seen by anyone on the day. B the timing, it was likely on the outward leg.
Australasian Gannet: 12 (2). Mostly inshore and predominantly immature birds.
Pomarine Jaeger: 7 (2). One bird came into the boat at the shelf, remainder inshore.
Arctic Jaeger: 3 (3). A single bird + two others a few hundred metres south on return leg, inshore.
Crested Tern: 8 (3). Mostly close to port.
Silver Gull: 40 (40). All in association with Moon Island.
MAMMALS
Indo-Pacific Common Dolphin: A large and extensive pod of at least 100 individuals seen about half way back to port on the return leg.
Gould’s Wattled Bat Chalinolbus gouldii: About 90 minutes into our drift at the shelf a Microbat was observed flying towards land. Photographs were obtained and it was identified as a Gould’s Wattled Bat. We considered the possibility that the bat had been roosting on the boat, then took flight several hours into the trip, which may have been the case. But communication with bat expert Glenn Hoye reveals that Gould’s Wattled Bats have likely dispersed to Norfolk Island and New Zealand in the past. He also recently trapped one on Lord Howe Island and thought it was probably a vagrant as opposed to being ship-assisted. Our observation is a very interesting recording this context.