Humpback spy-hopping. Pic by Rick Franks |
Prolonged,
multiple and unusually close encounters with multiple Humpback Whales
were the highlight of the pelagic trip off the Sunshine Coast on
Sunday August 27, 2017. No particularly
unusual
birds were
encountered due
to relatively calm conditions, though
winter records of Tahiti Petrel and Sooty Tern were interesting.
Humpback Whale |
Hopes
were high with a forecast of winds from the right direction (E-SE) at
15 knots as we departed Mooloolaba Marina at 6.35am on another clear
winter day. A
Sooty Oystercatcher on the rocks at the Mooloolah River mouth was
unexpected. This
was the second pelagic foray on our 17m boat, Crusader 1, operated by
Sunshine Coast family company Sunshine
Coast Afloat. The
deep-hulled
vessel
ploughed effortlessly
through
a swell of up to 2m that had been whipped up by strong winds offshore
in
the preceding days.
Humpback Whale with calf |
We
spotted quite a few Humpback Whales on the way out and a couple of
small groups of Hutton's Shearwaters, along
with
the first Wedge-tailed Shearwaters of the season.
After a few stops we reached the shelf at 9.10am at 400m, 32 nautical
miles offshore: 26.42.174S; 153.42.680E. We had an excellent
encounter with a pod of Humpbacks in 300m and that set the pattern
for the whole time we were out on the shelf, with whales frequently
in sight and often venturing
close to the boat. It is unusual to find Humpbacks out on the shelf
and to see so many this day was quite extraordinary.
Providence Petrel |
The
first Providence Petrel soon appeared as began laying a berley trail
and we were to have small numbers of these about while we off the
shelf.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel |
Wilson's Storm-Petrel |
Several
Wilson's Storm-Petrels put in an appearance along
with a few more Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.
Hutton's Shearwater |
A
single Tahiti Petrel was unexpected at this time of the year. A
couple
more Hutton's
Shearwaters
flew by.
Sooty Tern - Pic by Malcolm Graham |
Two
Sooty Terns were seen distantly and Crested Terns were constantly
about the vessel. A
Tiger Shark was seen to surface briefly.
Humpback Whale head's encrusted barnacles |
The
Humpback
Whale encounters got better and better with the huge mammals on
several occasions swimming under the vessel in clear view. These
interactions
culminated in a superb performance by an adult female and attendant
adult male which in
unison spy hopped several times, raising their massive,
barnacle-encrusted heads above the water within a few metres of the
boat to check us out.
Humpback Whale - Pic by Rick Franks |
The
whales were so close that my prime 400 lens was of little use; thanks to Rick Franks for some of these images. It
was as well that the whales put on a show because the forecast fresh
south-easterlies did not materialise, with a gentle breeze struggling
to reach 8-10knots despite the vigorous swell. After drifting 3
nautical miles eastward to 800m, we turned around at 12.45pm
to head back.
Humpback Whale |
We
saw plenty more Humpbacks and more Hutton's Shearwaters, some not far
from shore.
We managed reasonable
views of most shearwaters and there did not appear to be any
Fluttering among them.
We
had a nice encounter with a large pod of Offshore Bottle-nosed
Dolphin, including a small juvenile.
We
found a Brown Booby perched on a trawler as
the winds picked up quickly, sharply and belatedly.
Offshore Bottle-nosed Dolphins |
Brown Booby |
Eastern Reef-Egret |
We
returned
to the marina at 3.40pm, spotting an Eastern Reef Egret perched
incongruously
by the swimming pool of a canal home. Again,
all aboard were impressed by the comfort, space and amenities of
Crusader 1, along with the enthusiasm of its crew.
PARTICIPANTS:
Greg
Roberts (organiser), Toby Imhoff (skipper), Zoe Williams (deckhand),
Chris Attewell, Duncan Cape, George Chapman, Jo Culinan, Robyn Duff,
Rick Franks, Malcolm Graham, Matteo Grilli, John Gunning, Jane Hall,
Mary Hynes, Russ Lamb, Davydd McDonald, John Merton, Trevor Ross,
Eske Ross, Jim Sneddon, Raja Stephenson, Ged Tranter, Jamie Walker,
Chris Watts, Chris Wiley.
SPECIES:
Total (Maximum at one time)
Providence
Petrel 25 (5)
Tahiti
Petrel 1 (1)
Wedge-tailed
Shearwater 15 (3)
Hutton's
Shearwater 22 (6)
Wilson's
Storm-Petrel 10 (2)
Brown
Booby 1 (1)
Crested
Tern 70 (20)
Sooty
Tern 2 (2)
Pied
Cormorant 2 (2)
Humpback
Whale 80 (9)
Offshore
Bottle-nosed Dolphin 25 (10)
Great day Greg. I am yet to process all of my photos so I'll let you know if I have anything to add.
ReplyDeleteJohn Merton