Sections
CalendarBoat: M.V. Imagine, skippered by Frank Future.
CONDITIONS
There was a definite air of excitement and expectation as all 22 punters boarded the 54ft sailing catamaran 'Imagine', which was running a birding pelagic trip for the first time, following the sale of 'Contagious' to a Perth-buyer. We punched into a rather confused sea for the first part of the outward leg, spurred on by an offshore breeze that was pushing against two swell-directions. Things quietened down somewhat when we reached deeper water and we enjoyed a very comfortable day at sea. We commenced the drift at -32.814054, 152.672230 at 10:46am, drifting south for nearly 3 hours. Water temperature 19 degrees inshore and 22 degrees at the shelf.
ACTIVITY
Departed D'Albora Marina at 7:07am returning by 3:48pm. The journey out saw very few birds coming to the boat and the highlight was possibly a Cattle Egret flying from the ocean towards the coast. A few flocks of migrating Short-tailed and Sooty Shearwaters were watched zooming south and a young Campbell Albatross joined the boat not far from the drift start. Whilst drifting we did manage a reasonably steady stream of birds, including (unusually) two species of cormorants, with a Great Cormorant flying laps around the boat as we commenced the drift and then a flock of 14 Little Black Cormorants just after we ended the drift.
The highlight was undoubtedly the Black Petrel that gave good views for an extended period, probably followed closely by the Red-tailed Tropicbird flushed off the water not long after the start of the journey back to port.
Black Petrel
BIRDS
20 species were recorded outside of Port Stephens; which is the highest count for a Port Stephens trip for a few years (though inflated by the Cattle Egret and cormorants). 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 V4.
Wilson's Storm-petrel: 60 (20). All pelagic and mostly in the slick, with a few seen along current lines not far from the shelf.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater: 250 (40). Moderate numbers today, very few birds interested in the boat.
Flesh-footed Shearwater: 50 (16). Overall these birds showed more interest in the boat than the other shearwaters, as is typical.
Short-tailed Shearwater: 100 (30). Mostly migrating flocks (no evidence of exhausted birds that had been wrecking on beaches recently).
Sooty Shearwater: 30 (10). Mostly migrating flocks.
Hutton's Shearwater: 5 (3). Mostly inshore.
Fluttering Shearwater: 1. One bird photographed on the return leg.
Campbell Albatross: 1. One bird came into the boat just short of the shelf and stayed loyal to the boat for quite some time.
Black-browed type Albatross: 2 (1). Two indeterminate birds at the shelf.
Shy-type Albatross: 2 (1). Two indeterminate birds at the shelf; though almost certainly White-capped.
Solander's (Providence) Petrel: 2 (1). Both pelagic and neither seen well as they were both distant.
Grey-faced Petrel: 3 (2). All pelagic and showed interest in the boat.
Black Petrel: 1. A rather cooperative bird that displayed very dark ungues for this species.
Australasian Gannet: 1. Single bird at the shelf.
Crested Tern: 6 (6). All birds seen at the shelf.
Long-tailed Jaeger: 1. A lone bird flying parallel to the boat just after commencing the return leg.
Red-tailed Tropicbird: An adult bird flushed from the water on the return leg, about 4 miles from the shelf break.
Silver Gull: 1. Inshore on way out.
Cattle Egret: Single bird in breeding plumage flying towards the coast about 10 miles from the heads.
Great Cormorant: 1. A bird that circled the boat several times when we first started drifting, then disappeared but appeared once again soon later.
Little Black Cormorant: 14 (14). A flock of birds seen flying away down the wake of the boat as we departed the end of our drift. They stopped and turned and showed some interest in the birds behind the boat. We have never had any species of cormorant at the shelf before.
MAMMALS
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin: 10. A few seen just outside of the heads.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin: 20: A few small pods in deeper water.
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin: 20: A single pod that followed the boat briefly on the outward leg.