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CalendarKiama Pelagic Trip Report
Saturday 26th October 2019. Recorded by Lindsay E. Smith
Vessel: MV.KATO
Air temp: 19c Water temp: Inshore 18.4 Offshore 18.6
Air pressure: 1024 Cloud cover: 3/5
Wind speed and direction: 20-25 knots from the north-east in the morning, decreasing to 10-15 knots around midday, increasing to 35-40 knots from the south-west in the afternoon.
Sea conditions: 1-1.5 metres from the south. 2-3m swell.
Current running south at 3.8 knots.
Comments:
A tough day at sea.
Weather conditions were such that we had to delay our departure from the harbour. Only after a final check on the sea conditions from Blow Hole Point was the decision made to go to sea. We left the harbour and headed out into a strong 20 knot north-east wind, keeping a close eye on the changing sea conditions.
There were plenty of birds inshore, mainly shearwaters and gannets, with a few distant albatrosses.
However, with the changing weather conditions forecast, we decided to try getting out to the Continental Shelf break as quickly as we could comfortably manage. Unfortunately we were unable to reach the Continental Shelf, though there was plenty of activity in 80 fathom zone. We stopped here and whilst chumming for birds we drifted almost six miles in the wind and the current attracting a very large and diverse group of birds including albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and storm-petrels.
The Banding Team were kept busy catching and banding six of the large group of 20+ Campbell Island Albatrosses which had come to the boat. This is largest group of Campbell Albatrosses we have encountered off Kiama. Of the six birds that were captured from the co-hort was one that had previously been banded on NZ. Sub Antarctic Campbell Island. We are awaiting data from NZ as to when it was banded.
With the swell and wind rising from the SW. It was time to head inshore, out of the current before the wind rose to 40 knots from the south-west pushing the swell up to 2.5 metres.
It was a wet and bumpy ride back to the inshore waters. We stayed here looking for Huttons and Fluttering Shearwaters amongst the large flock of hungry Short-tailed Shearwaters that had gathered around the boat.
Sp No Species Number
937 Northern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes halli - 1
075 Grey-faced Petrel, Pterodroma gouldi - 5+ (3)
971 Providence Petrel, Pterodroma solandri - 20+ (Shelf)
069 Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Puffinus pacificus - 30+
072 Flesh-footed Shearwater, Puffinus carneipes - 1
071 Short-tailed Shearwater, Puffinus tenuirostris - 200+ (60+)
068 Fluttering Shearwater, Puffinus gavial - 3+ (Shelf)
913 Hutton’s Shearwater, Puffinus huttoni - 20+ Inshore
Wandering Albatross, Diomedea spp - 3
846 Antipodean Albatross, Diomedea antipodensis - 1
847 Gibson’s Albatross, Diomedea gibsoni - 2
Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche spp – 8 (5) Ad+Imm
088 Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophrys 3
859 Campbell Albatross, Thalassarche impavida 20+ad +Imm
931 Buller’s Albatross, Thalassarche bulleri 2-3 ad +1Im
Shy Albatross, Thalassarche cauta spp 15+(9)
091 Shy Albatross, Thalassarche cauta - 2
861 White-capped Albatross, Thalassarche steadi - 10+ Ad+Im
864 Indian yellow-nosed Albatross, Thalassarche bassi - 1
063 Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Oceanites oceanicus - 50+ (18)
065 White-faced Storm-Petrel, Pelagodroma marina – 1+
104 Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator - 30+ Ad+Imm
100 Little Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax melanoleucos - 3
099 Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax varius - 1
097 Little black Cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - 3
096 Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo - 3
106 Australian Pelican, Pelicanus conspicillatus - 3
980 Brown Skua, Catharacta longbergii - 1
945 Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus - 2
125 Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae - 50+
115 Crested Tern, Sterna bergii - 12+ (8)