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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.
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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.
| Species | No. |
|---|---|
|
950
|
|
|
800
|
|
|
175
|
|
|
120
|
|
|
109
|
|
|
86
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
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