Eaglehawk Pelagic, Tasmania 14th & 15th Albatross, Albatross and more Albatross!

There was some apprehension aboard the Pauletta as we left Pirates bay on Saturday because there was very little wind and the seas were quite calm. It was perfect weather for fishing but for bird watching there needs to be some wind. Without wind pelagic seabirds tend to sit quietly on the water and not come in to the smell of the berley. With some wind the birds lift off the surface and start gliding across the wave tops. We needn't have worried though because once we got out near the shelf edge there were birds everywhere and the only ones missing were the small prions and storm-petrels.

A perfect day for pelagic birding is 10 to 20 knots of wind, a medium swell with some small waves on top so the boat doesn’t move around too much, and, of course, sunshine to show the birds off to their best and keep everyone smiling. And that is EXACTLY what we had on Sunday resulting in 35 species, from the diminutive Common Diving Petrel with a wingspan of 35 cm and its disconcerting habit of flying full speed straight into the face of a wave and disappearing, up to the Wandering Albatross with its majestic wingspan of up to 3.5 metres. As we arrived at the shelf break we were 13 really happy birders.

View looking south over Pirates Bay and the anchorage.

I am told that on a windy day a pelagic seabird can smell tuna or shark liver oil, our preferred lure, for about 10 km. I don’t know how true this is but the birds sure come in from somewhere when some is poured on the water. Albatross are often one of the first species to arrive.

Pauletta at her mooring. The houses in the background are part of the village of Doo Town.

Location and approximate trip map. Thanks to Google Earth.

Seeing a member of the Wandering Albatross group at sea is an awesome sight, especially when it is a Snowy Albatross, Diomedea exulans. With a wingspan of between 2.5 and 3.5 metres and the males weighing up to 11 kg this is a seriously large bird. It’s near cousin the Antipodean Albatross, Diomedea antipodensis, is about the same size, only darker on the wing.

Snowy Albatross with Tasman Isle (left) and Cape Raoul (right) in the background.

Snowy Albatross, Diomedea exulans. I am told the red tinge on the neck is caused by their diet.

Snowy Albatross pair with Shy Albatross in the background. The size difference between the species is very apparent. 

Antipodean Albatross, Diomedea antipodensis.  There are 6 plumages stages recognised in Wandering Albatross based on the age of the bird. This is approx a stage 4.

Antipodean Albatross in stage 3 to 4.

Antipodean Albatross possibly race gibsoni in stage 1 plumage.

The other large albatross are the Royal Albatross, Northern and Southern, weighing about 6 kg and with a wingspan of about 3 metres they are sometimes, at a distance, hard to pick from the Wanderers.

Northern Royal Albatross with black leading edge to wing.

Southern Royal Albatross with white leading edge to wing, best seen here on left wing.

Southern Royal Albatross showing the black cutting edge to bill common to both Royal Albatross.

At the other end of the scale are the small albatross, the molymawks, like the Black-browed or Shy Albatross. These birds have a wingspan of some 2 metres and weigh 3 to 4 kg, still large birds, as birds go, but seen side by side to a Wandering Albatross they seem quite diminutive.

Shy Albatross.

Shy Albatross.

Campbell Albatross with diagnostic yellow eye.

Black-browed Albatross with its dark eye and mainly dark under-wing.

Juvenile Grey-headed Albatross with all black bill.

Adult Grey-headed Albatross with yellow edges to bill.

The dainty members of the albatross tribe are the Sooty (Phoebetria fusca) and Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata). Their wings are about 2 metres long, fine and pointed and they weigh in at about 2 to 3 kg. While they are still big the long, narrow wings give them the most beautiful of profiles as they effortlessly glide across the waves.

Sooty Albatross.

Sooty Albatross showing pale cutting edge to bill and a Great-winged Petrel race gouldi. Some authorities have split this bird from Great-winged and it is now Grey-faced Petrel.

Light-mantled Albatross.

One other albatross species was seen by two people as we steamed back toward Pirates Bay was a Yellow-nosed Albatross, but sadly I missed it. They are a very beautiful molymawk with a deep black bill that has a fine line of yellow along the top edge, shading to pink at the tip. Seeing this bird meant that, in one weekend, we had seen eleven albatross species in one day! 

I didn’t get a photo of the Yellow-nosed on Sunday so I dug around and found a picture I took off Port Fairy. It isn’t quite sharp but at least you can see what they look like.

Yellow-nosed Albatross.

The only local molymawk we missed was a Buller’s Albatross, but we did see one off Eaglehawk exactly one year before so I have added its photo, just so it doesn’t feel left out.

 

Buller's Albatross.

And as I said before, every time I think of those two days off Eaglehawk a smile comes to my face and my eyes glaze over and I am back out there, bobbing around in a boat surrounded by magnificent birds. My thanks go to the trip organiser and birder extraordinaire Rohan Clarke and the skipper John Males for organising the trip and I hope to do many more.







All photos & text © Jenny Spry

Eaglehawk Pelagic, Tasmania 14th and 15th September

On Saturday we saw 29 species of seabird off Eaglehawk Neck followed by 35 species on Sunday. It was, without a doubt, the most remarkable 2 days of pelagic birding I have had in over 30 trips. Eleven species of Albatross came and went and both days were topped off with 10 Grey Petrels and “flocks” of White-headed Petrels!!! Unheard of! To put it in perspective my highest previous one day count was 22 species off Port Fairy, Vic. Birds of the trip? Grey-headed Albatross, Grey Petrel, Sooty Albatross and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross.

Location and trip map; with thanks to Google Earth

In this blog I will concentrate on seabirds other than the Albatross, and those I will give their own blog because they were so numerous and beautiful.

I used to think all it would take to cure my Pelagidipphobia ('the fear of missing a new bird or wonderful sighting by missing out on going on a pelagic birding trip’. According to the medical professions, once acquired this phobia is totally without cure [smile]) would be a weekend like this but no, the “win” has just left me stressing for the next trip – hopefully out of Portland, Vic, in October. And then in December I am doing a half-day pelagic out of Cocos Is. No one, as far as I know, has ever done a pelagic out of Cocos, there might be anything out there. Just think of the possibilities!!

The condition were perfect with low water temperatures, light to moderate winds, just enough to get the birds off the water, sunshine and a moderate swell with small waves on top. We motored out of Pirates Bay in the Pauletta and headed for the Hypolites Rocks where there was a small group of Australian Fur Seals and one New Zealand Fur Seal and the normal groups of Black-faced Cormorants and Australian Gannets.

The Pauletta on her moorings in Pirates Bay

Hypolites Rock and the cave and rock shelves that the seals enjoy.

Once past here it is not far out to the edge of the shelf, and Tasman Island and the tall rock spires of Cape Raoul form the back-drop to the trip. By the time we were at the edge of the shelf and in about 200 fathoms of water the albatross and petrels were becoming common but further out we could see large numbers of birds rising above the horizon. We motored on out to a depth of some 600 fathoms, about 35 kms off shore, and here the real birding started. Seabirds flew past, circled the boat for a look and came in to the berley trail. Each species came close enough so we could get good looks at all the markings, and watching various species of albatross glide in on massive wings was sheer bliss.

Northern Giant Petrel with its dark bill tip

Southern Giant Petrel portrait showing the green bill tip

Northern and Southern Giant Petrel. They are about the same size as the small albatross (molymawks)

Soft-plumaged Petrel

White-chinned Petrel

Great-winged Petrel race gouldi

Great-winged Petrel race macroptera

White-headed Petrel dorsal view

White-headed Petrel ventral view

Grey Petrel

Grey Petrel

Cape Petrel race australe from New Zealand waters

Cape Petrel race capense from the Indian Ocean and South Africa

Slender-billed Prion

Fairy Prion

Antarctic Prion

Blue Petrel ventral view

Blue Petrel dorsal view

Short-tailed Shearwater with Tasman Island in the background as we headed back to Pirates Bay

Every time I think of the two days a smile comes to my face and my eyes glaze over and I am back out there, bobbing around in a boat surrounded by magnificent birds. To misquote the Bard, “Such trips as this my dreams are made on;”







all images and text © Jenny Spry

Change of Season at WTP

It is an interesting time at the WTP at the moment. The locals are all adopting their “flirt feathers” and are thinking about, or are fully involved in, breeding. At the same time the tourists are coming back from up north and still show the remains of their breeding plumes, but have nothing more on their minds than feeding and resting after a long trip.

One of the species showing local colour the best at the moment is the Pelican. Their bills and facial skin are colouring up beautifully.

I have always though of the Musk Duck as being just a drab, dark grey to black duck, and a strange one at that. The male has a huge dewlap, pointy tail feathers and does a startling display involving lots of splashing. They also have a small squeaking call that seems totally out of place for such a large heavy bird. The beautiful plumage on this female though has changed my mind, she is subtly beautiful in her new woo-the-boys outfit.

One surprise was a pair of Black Kite flirting and apparently carrying sticks to a nest site in the cypress trees. Not the best picture but it was such a surprise to see them apparently starting to nest I was a bit rushed.

Common Greenshanks have some nice colour left but are moulting to their off-season drabs.

Cattle are being grazed at the moment in the grasslands on the way out to Ryan's Swamp. This is a good place to look for Stubble Quail.

All images & text © Jenny Spry

Welcome Swallows "fishing" at WTP

As happened in 2012, Welcome Swallows are again feeding on larvae captured from below the surface of the roadside pools on 29 Mile Rd at the WTP Western Lagoons at Werribee, Vic. About 30 were hovering over the pools and plunging their heads below the surface. I noticed that after each attack when the head had gone deep into the water the birds swung their heads 180º when they rose up. It appears that they do this to remove water from their faces. The head was not swung if only the bill entered the water.

I have received reports of this sub-surface feeding behaviour from Warrnambool, WTP, Dandenong and Anderson’s Inlet, all along the south coast of Victoria. Has anyone seen this type of feeding behaviour from any Hirundinidae species from any other place? NSW? SA? Central Vic? Overseas?

The photos below aren’t the best quality but have you ever tried to photograph a fast flying, zipping and dipping swallow and catch it, not only in focus but in focus at a precise milli-second over a shaded pond – and then maintain focus for a series of 3 or 4 photos as the bird moves? Aaaaagh! (smile). It's a fun challenge though so the next half decent day I will go back and try again.

There are so few flying insects at the WTP at the moment that swallows follow my car as I drive along grassy tracks hoping I disturb something. Maybe the diving takes place at this time of year because there is so little of the more easy to capture flying prey? 

The type of sub-surface prey captured may be opportunistic as to species as long as the length is acceptable because I have one out of focus photo that seems to show a round beetle and another, also out of focus, that may be a silver-coloured, very small (10 mm +/-) fish.

Welcome Swallows hunting for swimming prey. The bird on left has head in water, the centre bird is looking and the right hand bird has just struck at a prey.

Swallow capturing prey with bill just in the water

(1) First in a sequence of three photos taken within 1 second. The bird has seen prey and is about to strike ...

... (2) the catch has been made, apparently a larvae of some sort ...

... (3) and finally the bill is open and the prey can just be made out at the back of the mouth.

Head swing showing circle of water drops. The tail is kicked up so that it clears the water as the swallow rises after the attack.

This shows a more extreme example of the raised tail and 180º head rotation.

Could this be a very small silver-coloured fish? Or maybe just water shining on a larvae of some type? A better photo will be needed.

All images & text © Jenny Spry

Werribee WTP Spring - almost

Well, I was sort of joking on my last blog when I said spring was here but now I think it may have really arrived early, even if it is only the first week of August and a good three weeks from the official start of spring. When we were down at the plant on Sunday the Banded Lapwings had a chick running around, the Little Ravens were nest building, the Eurasian Skylarks were in full song and the Black Falcons were very obviously paired.

Looking over Walsh's Lagoons to the You Yangs

Eurasian Songlark

I went down with Joy and again the raptors put on a full show. First act was a Black Falcon sitting on a fence post beside the road feasting on a rat. The meal was well advanced and we only knew it was a rat because when the falcon eventually took off the rat’s long tail hung out behind.

Black Falcon with the remains of a rat

Further down the road a magnificent Wedge-tailed Eagle sat on a post trying to soak up the morning sunshine, all the time being harassed by a Magpie. Such insolence; the Wedgie finally gave up and flew off.

Australian Magpie annoying a Wedge-tailed Eagle

The Black-shouldered Kites were feeling game too and took on a Black Falcon that I guess had strayed into their territory. The Black Falcon was about as interested in its antagonists as the Wedgie had been and just continued on its way with only the occasional barrel roll and flash of talons to show it recognised that the kites were there.

After this display we found the Black Falcons again and they really put on a “Big Year - Attu” moment for us (if you haven’t seen the film you must). The sky was overcast and rain had just started to fall. With the strong west wind blowing the afternoon felt much colder than the 12º C it actually was and the rain made it feel like winter was making a comeback. When we stopped the car to open a gate we saw two Black Falcons high up in front of us and as we watched they started some aerial play, climbing, diving, twisting and rolling. We sat with the binoculars on them and drank in the display. Gorgeous. Such power and beauty. 

And then came the “Attu” moment; the falcons flew at each other and the lower one rolled over and the two birds locked talons. From here they went into a spiralling fall, tumbling slowly around each other, locked together as one with wings half closed. SIGH. I have never seen that display before. It was unbelievably wonderful. I can close my eyes right now and still see them falling slowly down and flowing together. What a sight!

Black-shouldered Kite annoying a Black Falcon

Out on Beach Rd a Banded Lapwing couple were looking after young chicks while cattle wandered around nearby. I do hope that the young chick is careful; what with all the raptors in the area and the cattle the first few weeks of life could be a real challenge.

Banded Lapwing and chick in their preferred habitat; short grass and lots of cow pats

With all the rain we have had the ponds are all full and the overflows are running fast. It seems there must be good food in them too as both the Eurasian Coots and Dusky Moorhens were feeding in them. The fast-flowing water gave some interesting effects as the birds stuck their heads down to feed.

Eurasian Coot

Dusky Moorhens

Then we found this very curious Welcome Swallow.

It just sort of peered in the window of the car at me. Probably wondering what sort of beast I was

And this is something we often see at the plant because of how close the Avalon Airport is, a Red-tailed QANTAS-bird. How I would love to be on it. Ah well, just another 3 months or so and I will be.

Red-tailed QANTAS-bird

Just because I can’t keep away I was down at the plant again yesterday with Marlene and the waders are starting to arrive back. There were lots more Red-necked Stints than last weekend and on Summer Lagoon 2 there were five Greenshanks still showing some breeding plumage. Yeeeah. Spring is in the air.

Greenshanks with the remains of breeding plumage

All images & text © Jenny Spry