Sections
CalendarLeaving Kiama Harbour at 07.30 hrs we travelled directly out to the shelf edge, deviating only to look for a Humpback Whale seen heading north. Reaching the deeper water (225 fathoms/411 m) at the outer edge of the continental shelf at 34° 47’ 14” S; 151° 11’ 18” E, 32.9 km ESE of the harbour, we stopped and began to chum, drifting slowly 1.24 km SE in the wind and current, 09.20-10.55 hrs. Having caught and banded some of the albatrosses present, and finding the remaining birds were becoming wary of our catching net, we decided to move back in to the inner edge in the hope of finding birds travelling parallel with the coast along that point of upwelling. We moved 6.4 km northeast to 34° 45’ 15” S; 151° 08’ 02” E, 26.4 km from the harbour, and began our next chumming session at 11.30 hrs. Again we caught and banded several of the albatrosses present, but were unable to lure in three Black-browed Albatrosses wearing what were probably French bands from the Indian Ocean breeding islands. We then proceeded a few hundred metres along the slick to 34° 45’ 28” S; 151° 07’ 50” E at around 12.30 hrs, where we came upon a small tern, which was first thought to be a White-fronted Tern, but soon recognised as a much more unusual bird for the Kiama pelagics, an Arctic Tern. Some very deft work with the catching net saw this bird captured and brought aboard for photographing, measuring and banding, before being released and flying off strongly.
By now time dictated that we continue back towards the coast, so we moved 10km E to around the 70 fathom/128 m mark at 34° 43’ 12” S; 151° 01’ 46” E, 16.4 km from the harbour, where we made our third chumming stop, 13.55-14.28 hrs, drifting only a few hundred metres in that period. There were more Fairy Prions active in these shallower waters, so we were hopeful we might find a Brown Skua or two, but it was not to be, so we continued in our homeward direction, stopping and drifting again for a final time, 15.02-15.30 hrs, at 34° 41’ 28” S; 150° 55’ 39” E, 6.5 km from the harbour. With no skuas to be seen and time running out, we proceeded in to the harbour, tying up at our mooring at 16.00 hrs.
Sea conditions were fairly comfortable with a swell of 1-1.5 m in the first few hours, gradually diminishing as the wind weakened as the day progressed. Sea temperature was still warmer than usual with around 21° out at the shelf edge.
Highlight for the day was undoubtedly the very obliging Arctic Tern, which was new for a number of those on board. It was notable how few pterodromas were present in the deeper water, and several species groups usually encountered at this time of year, e.g., storm petrels, great albatrosses, Brown Skuas, were completely absent.
Species seen outside the harbour, maximum at any one time in brackets:
088 Black-browed Albatross - 50+ (26) mainly adults, but some immatures present; some caught and banded.
859 Campbell Albatross – 4 (3) adults and one immature caught and banded
091 Shy Albatross – 5 (2) one bird moulting primaries was considered to be a Tasmanian breeding cauta.
864 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross – 8 (6) mainly adults, but one immature present; several caught and banded.
937 Northern Giant Petrel – 1 (1) immature
083 Fairy Prion – 50 (5)
971 Providence (Solander’s) Petrel – 2 (1) fewer present than usual
068 Fluttering Shearwater - 100+ (50+)
913 Hutton’s Shearwater – 1 (1) mixed in with one of the flocks of Fluttering Shearwaters
106 Australian Pelican - 2 (2) just outside the harbour
104 Australasian Gannet - 15+ (3) adults and juveniles
100 Little Pied Cormorant – 1 (1) just outside the harbour
125 Silver Gull – 250 (200+)
115 Greater Crested Tern – 20 (12)
114 White-fronted Tern - 3 (3)
952 Arctic Tern – 1 (1) caught and banded
We saw several Humpback Whales heading north and were accompanied at various times by small pods of Common and Oceanic Bottlenose Dolphins.
Graham Barwell