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| Brown Skua |
Brown Skua and a fine suite of cetaceans were the highlights of the July 30,
2017 pelagic trip off Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The
outing was significant because it was the first time we had used the
17m Crusader 1, and all aboard as we departed Mooloolaba
Marina on a crisp winter morning at 6.45am were looking forward to
experiencing the new boat. We weren't to be disappointed.
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| Crusader 1 |
The
forecast did not bode well, with a breeze struggling to reach 5 knots
as we departed the river mouth and headed out to sea on a swell of
under 1m. It was very pleasant weather (surface temperature 22
degrees at 9am) but the winds were not going to be of the right speed
and direction to net a substantial avian hall.
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| Brown Booby |
On
the way out we had a small group of Hutton's Shearwaters and a
smattering of migrating Humpback Whales. We stopped for whales and a
Brown Booby perched on a trawler before reaching the shelf beyond the
Barwon Banks 32 nautical miles offshore in 320 fathoms (26.4419S;
153.444E) at 9.15am. Without stops, it would have taken us a bit over
2 hours to reach the shelf.
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| Brown Skua with Providence Petrel victim |
When
he stopped at the shelf we saw a Brown Skua feeding on what we
eventually identified as a Providence Petrel. The petrel had
evidently been freshly killed as the skua was vigorously removing dry
features from its victim.
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| Brown Skua with Providence Petrel victim |
The skua allowed close approach and we saw
it a couple more times while we were out on the shelf. Brown Skua is
a rare winter visitor to south-east Queensland so this sighting was
welcome.
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| Providence Petrel |
We
began laying a berley trail and soon the first live Providence Petrel
put in an appearance. This species and Crested Tern were the only birds
we saw regularly out on the shelf as conditions remained stubbonly
mild with very little wind.
Mammals
were more co-operative. We had several pods of Risso's Dolphins, some
of which showed nicely close to the boat.
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| Risso's Dolphins |
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| Risso's Dolphins |
Of
particular interest was a small pod of Dwarf Minke Whales, another
rare visitor to south-east Queensland waters. One of the whales
surfaced briefly very close to the boat.
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| Dwarf Minke Whale |
A
single Tahiti Petrel put in an appearance – another winter record
for a tropical species that is not supposed to be in these waters in
winter. We saw a single Wilson's Storm-Petrel and a couple more
Hutton's Shearwaters out wide.
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| Tahiti Petrel |
Along
with a few Australasian Gannets as we drifted eastwards for 7 knots
before turning around in 470 fathoms and heading back to port. The
wind picked up at this point to 10-12 knots, but from the north - not
the best wind direction for seabirds in this part of the world. The
Brown Booby was still at its trawler roost and the Humpbacks were
plentiful if distant. We arrived back in port at 3.45pm.
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| Australasian Gannets |
The
boat fulfilled our most optimistic expectations in terms of creature
comforts. Although 23 birders were on board, there was plenty of room
to move about on deck and on the bow. Everyone was able to find a
seat; hand rails were a welcome change; and an extensive roof
provided shelter from the elements. Viewing conditions for seabirds
from the deck were excellent. Most importantly, the deep-keeled,
high speed monohull made for a smooth ride out and back. The boat is operated by Sunshine Coast Afloat, a Sunshine Coast family company with a solid reputation in this business.
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| All aboard |
PARTICIPANTS:
Greg Roberts (organiser), Toby Imhoff (skipper), Zoe Williams
(deckhand), Grayham Bickley, Todd Burrows, Chris Burwell, Jo Culinan,
Jan England, Cecile Espigole, Alex Ferguson, Hendrik Ferreira, John
Gunning, Nikolas Haass, Christian Haass, Bob James, Matt Latimore,
Elliot Leach, Andrew Naumann, William Price, Jim Sneddon, Raja
Stephenson, Ged Tranter, Paul Walbridge, Jamie Walker.
BIRDS Total Number Seen (Maximum seen at one time)
Tahiti Petrel 1 (1)
Providence Petrel 10 (2)
Hutton's Shearwater 5 (3)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 1 (1)
Brown Booby 1 (1)
Australasian Gannet 6 (2)
Brown Skua 1 (1)
Crested Tern 60 (20)
Silver Gull 1 (1)
MAMMALS
Offshore Bottle-nosed Dolphin 4 (2)
Risso's Dolphin 25 (7)
Humpback Whale 20 (3)
Dwarf Minke Whale 3 (2)
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