Cruise
map. Track lines are shown in yellow (28th); blue (29th) and red (30th)
[click image to enlarge].
|
Surface
map of bathymetry [click image to
enlarge]
|
|
| Highlights: Fifteen
Light Mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Sooty Albatross,
Grey-headed Albatross, Wandering "Snowy" Albatross, Salvin's Albatross,
Northern Royal Albatross, Southern Royal Albatross, White-headed Petrel. |
|
PROBABLE ANTARCTIC TERN [FIRST FOR TASMANIA]
A tern seen on the 29th July, 12:20 at 44.071613°S, 147.302337°E was initially dismissed as a White-fronted Tern (not dissimilar to the situation off Port Fairy in July 2005...images by Rohan Clarke).
For comparison, there are also photos of breeding plumage birds from Macquarie Island (care of Rohan Clarke). The size and shape was however suggestive of one of the other
medium-sized terns and photographs have since shown that it is most
likely an Antarctic Tern.
Submission to Birds Australia Rarities Committee
Probable Antarctic Tern, Michael Kearns [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Simon Mustoe [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Michael Kearns [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Michael Kearns [click to enlarge] |
|
 |
ONLY A FEW SPACES LEFT...
Kimberley Birdwatching runs the only regular expedition to the
pristine Ashmore Reef, just south of the Indonesian Archipelago from
Broome. Spend time snorkelling, turtle-watching, birding or just
relaxing on board the vessel. This is one of the best wildlife- watching
trips in Australia, with chance to see a variety of whales and dolphins, turtles and seabirds
en route to the island. The data collected is also a valuable contribution to knowledge of this remote area.
No less than 12 species of whale and dolphin, plus Dugong were seen by participants last year: Report of cetaceans for Ashmore Reef trip 2007.pdf (875kB)
Birding and wildlife report for the trip in 2004.
For details, call George or Lindsay Swann on 08
9192 1246. |
|
Probable Antarctic Tern, Grant Penrhyn [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Grant Penrhyn [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Grant Penrhyn [click to enlarge] |
Probable Antarctic Tern, Grant Penrhyn [click to enlarge] |
|
|
| Observers: Peter
"Crispin" Marsh, Michael Dempsey, Ben Allen, Bill Wakefield, Bob Way,
Grant Penrhyn, Gavin O'Meara, Judith Hoyle, Michael Kearns, Roger
McNeill, Ron
Broomham, Simon Mustoe. |
INTRODUCTION
Three
days were spent at sea. The first day was spent visiting Pedra
Branca and adjacent Eddystone rock. A relatively low diversity of birds
were seen, but large numbers of Tasmanian Shy Albatross, which had just
started to breed on the islands. The shelf edge was about 30
miles from Southport so the days were especially long, departing
between 06:30 - 07:00 and arriving back between 17:30 - 18:00.
CLIMATE
Weather during the trip was
very
good, with mostly winds less than 20 knots and seas less than 2m. The
first two days were cloudy with some showers
as a weak front passed. The wind changed from S/SE on day 1 and 2. Day
3 started with a weak NE that strengthened to around 20 knots by mid
afternoon. View a looped animation of the synoptic charts for the period.
DAILY
SUMMARY
Common
Diving-petrel were seen in large numbers on each trip out
to the
shelf. Large numbers of Australasian
Gannets were nesting on Pedra Blanca along with
a colony of Black-faced
Cormorants and Shy
Albatross. Northern
and
Southern Giant-petrel, Brown
Skua, White-fronted
Tern, Cape
Petrel, Great-winged
Petrel,
White-headed Petrel, Sooty
Shearwater and Fairy
Prion were seen in small numbers.
The views obtained on the
28th of
Pedra Blanca and the nearby sea stack
Eddystone Rock were spectacular but otherwise the trip on
the 28th was quite quiet except for a brief view of a Sooty Albatross, quickly
lost in the swell. On this day we only just reached the initial stages
of the shelf edge.
On the 29th we followed a track to the east of Pedra
Blanca heading for a series of canyons on the edge of the
shelf. Drifting in water about 500m deep, just beyond the
shelf edge, produced a very close fly by of the first Light-mantled Sooty
Albatross. A tern that was initially overlooked appears to
be an Antarctic Tern (see above). More details to follow.
On the 30th we left Southport just a bit after 06:00 and
headed slightly east of the track of the 29th but with enough time to
get out to 1000m depth. Two Grey-headed
Albatross were seen, along with close views of a White-headed Petrel.
The highlight of day 3 and possibly of the entire trip was at least 14 Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses.
|
Albatross Distribution Map [click to enlarge]
|
Pedra
Branca Island: Simon Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Eddystone
Rock, Simon Mustoe
[Click to enlarge]
|
| Species //
Date |
28th |
29th |
30th |
| Great
Albatross sp. |
1
(1) |
|
|
| Wandering
Albatross "Snowy" (exulans) |
|
1
(1) |
|
| Wandering
Albatross sp. (juv.) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
| Wandering
Albatross (gibsoni) |
|
|
1
(1) |
| Royal
Albatross (Northern, sanfordi) |
|
1
(1) |
|
| Royal
Albatross (Southern, epomophora) |
|
6
(3) |
5
(3) |
| Black-browed
Albatross sp. |
|
1
(1) |
|
| Black-browed
Albatross (melanophris) |
|
|
4
(2) |
| Black-browed
Albatross (impavida) |
|
1 (1) |
2 (2) |
| Shy
Albatross (vast majority cauta) |
c120
(c800) |
c150
(c80) |
c150
(c80) |
| Shy
Albatross (steadi) |
|
1
(1) |
9
(3) |
| Shy
Albatross (salvini) |
|
|
1
(1) |
| Grey-headed
Albatross |
|
|
2
(1) |
| Buller's
Albatross |
8
(3) |
c10
(5) |
c20 (11) |
| Sooty
Albatross |
1
(1) |
|
|
| Light-mantled
Sooty Albatross |
|
1
(1) |
14
(2) |
| Giant
Petrel sp. |
6
(2) |
c5
(1) |
1
(1) |
| Southern
Giant Petrel |
1
(1) |
2
(2) |
2
(2) |
| Northern
Giant Petrel |
|
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
| Cape
Petrel (australe) |
|
5
(3) |
|
| Fairy
Prion |
|
|
3
(2) |
| Shearwater sp. |
5 (2) |
|
|
| Sooty
Shearwater |
4
(2) |
8
(2) |
3
(2) |
| White-headed
Petrel |
|
|
2
(1) |
| Great-winged
Petrel (macroptera) |
|
|
2
(1) |
| Common
Diving Petrel |
c120
(c90 ) |
2000+
(496) |
-600 |
| Australasian
Gannet |
c950
(c800) |
c30
(3) |
c90
(c60) |
| Black-faced
Cormorant |
c175
(c100) |
|
5
(4) |
| White-bellied
Sea-eagle |
1
(1) |
|
|
| Pied
Oystercatcher |
|
|
3
(3) |
| White-fronted
Tern |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
| Probable
Antarctic Tern |
|
1 (1) |
|
| Crested
Tern |
5
(2) |
7
(2) |
12
(2) |
| Pacific
Gull |
5
(2) |
5
(2) |
|
| Kelp
Gull |
86
(28) |
33
(8) |
11
(3) |
| Silver
Gull |
109
(36) |
4
(3) |
c200
(c150) |
| Forest
Raven |
4
(3) |
|
2
(2) |
|
Southern
Royal Albatross, Simon Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Shy
Albatrosses against the sky, Simon Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
|
|
|
|
PEDRA BRANCA OR PEDRA BLANCA?
There was some debate on the vessel about whether the island was called
Pedra Branca or Pedra Blanca. The suggestion was made that the island
was called "Blanca" on account of it being white. In fact, the
Portuguese for white is Branca, not Blanca. In 1642, Tasman named
the island Pedra Branca because it reminded him of the
Portuguese-named 'White Rocks' off the south coast of the Malay
Peninsula. Both islands are now occasionally referred to as Pedra
Blanca but that was not the original name. Tasman's diary reads:
"29 Nov. In
the morning, while we were still by the rock which looks like a lion's
head, we had a westerly wind with a topsails breeze. We then sailed
along the coast, which here stretches east, and west and towards noon,
we passed two rocks, the westerly one we thought looked like Pedra
Branca, which lies off the coast of China."
The island off the Malay peninsula, located where the South China sea meets the Singapore Strait, is most definitely called "Branca".
Pedra Blanca is a verbal abberration of the original name Pedra Branca,
which was given to the island when the area was under Portuguese rule (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedra_Branca,_Singapore).
Lately, it seems Australians refer interchangeably to Pedra
Branca / Blanca. Perhaps Blanca is commonly associated with the word
"white" because we are more familiar with the French and Spanish words
for "white" (blanc and blanca, respectively) than we are of the Portuguese branca.
The island was named Pedra Branca after the island of the same name off
the Malay peninsula and still means White Island in Portuguese. Pedra Branca is the correct name, as applied to the vernacular for its single, remarkable island endemic Pedra Branca Skink. |
| VIDEO |
PHOTOS |
|
|
Southern
Royal Albatross, Bob Way [Click to enlarge]
|
Southern
Royal Albatross, Simon Mustoe [Click to
enlarge]
|
Buller's
Albatross, Simon Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Buller's
Albatross, Bob Way [Click to enlarge]
|
Black-browed
Albatross melanophrys subsp., Bob Way [Click to enlarge]
|
Salvin's
Albatross, Simon Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Grey-headed
Albatross, Simon
Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Shy
Albatross,
prob. steadi (New
Zealand subsp.) Simon
Mustoe [Click to enlarge]
|
Shy Albatross, cauta (Tasmanian subsp.) Michael Dempsey [Click to
enlarge]
|
Shy Albatross, cauta (Tasmanian subsp.) Michael Dempsey [Click to
enlarge]
|
Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Simon Mustoe [Click
to enlarge]
|
Common Diving Petrel, Simon Mustoe [Click to
enlarge]
|
Great-winged Petrel, Simon Mustoe [Click to
enlarge]
|
White-headed Petrel, Simon Mustoe [Click to
enlarge]
|
Southern Giant Petrel, Michael Dempsey [Click to
enlarge]
|
On the back deck! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DOLPHIN POSITION
DATA
| Latitude |
Longitude |
Species |
Number |
Date |
| -43.5481 |
147.0896 |
Common Dolphin |
~40 |
30/08/2008 |
|
|
|
