Sunday 31st July 2022 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, KIAMA, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Here's what was seen outside the harbour on a Kiama pelagic on the MV Kato on Sunday 31 July 2022. This pelagic was organised by SOSSA for an Illawarra Birders Group. The trip list uses the IOC Checklist v12.1 (Jan. 2022) for taxonomy, nomenclature & order of species. It gives fairly conservative numbers, which are estimates for the commoner species. There s also a map from Google Earth showing our route and chumming spots.

Leaving the harbour at 07.28 hrs, we headed out east to the edge of the continental shelf. Once we got a few kms offshore we began to see some gannets, a few albatrosses and some Fairy Prions. Towards the shelf edge we encountered a large flock of Australasian Gannets feeding on what we presumed were baitfish. We were accompanied for a period by a number of Common Dolphins coming close to the boat as they swam beside us. We stopped at 34 42 37 S; 151 10 00 E, 28.9 km from the harbour in 122 fathoms/223 m shelf edge waters, where we began our first chumming session at 09.30 hrs.

There were few birds around at first, but eventually our chum of chicken mince, beef fat and tuna oil attracted some petrels and a couple of albatrosses. At 10.20, having drifted nearly 3 km south in the northerly wind and current, we travelled back up the slick without finding anything on it we hadn't already seen, and settled in at 34 43 51 S; 151 09 34 E, 28.2 km from the harbour again in shelf edge waters, for another chumming session. As the wind and current pushed us 6 km south over the next 80 mins, we had good views of Solander's Petrels, Fairy Prions and several species of smaller albatross, both adult birds and immatures.

Just as we were beginning our return journey a juvenile Northern Giant Petrel appeared but was reluctant to come in very close. After spending some time trying to manoeuvre the boat closer to the bird, a Wandering type Albatross arrived and was more co-operative in giving good views. By 12.30 it was time to turn back, so we headed back in without further stops, arriving back in the harbour at 14.20 hrs.

Sea conditions were comfortable with a swell of 05-1m, calmer inshore, and a sea temperature of
18.2 degrees out at the shelf edge.

Species seen outside the harbour, maximum at any one time in brackets:
Rock Dove: 1 (1) flying over the sea near the mouth of the harbour.
125 Silver Gull: 5 (2)
115 Greater Crested Tern: 20+ (9)
086 Wandering Albatross: 1 (1) bill size suggests NZ breeding Antipodean Albatrosss gibsoni to some, but Indian Ocean breeding Wanderers have similar sized bills. Pure white body lacking obvious vermiculations points to Wandering Albatross, possibly an older female from the Kerguelen Islands.
088 Black-browed Albatross: 10+ (3) mainly adults, but at least one immature
859 Campbell Albatross: 1 (1) seen by only a few observers
91 & 861 Shy Albatross: 4 (1) mainly immatures, presumably steadi from the Auckland Islands
864 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 6 (2)
937 Northern Giant Petrel: 1 (1)
083 Fairy Prion: 40+ (10+)
075 Grey-faced Petrel: 2 (1) seen by only a few observers
971 Solander's Petrel: 10+ (2)
068 Fluttering Shearwater: 5+ (2)
104 Australasian Gannet: 60+ (50) most were in a flock chasing bait fish
106 Australian Pelican: 1 (1) just outside the harbour

Apart from the Common Dolphins seen on the way out, we also passed a seal (sp??). on the way back in.

Report prepared by Graham Barwell