mbill

Pelagic Trip
09/05/2008 Saturday
5 seamiles of South-east waters outside Sydney

Australasian Gannet






Shy Albatross


Black-browed Albatross


Providence Petrel


Yellow-nosed Albatross




Fed by the sailor




Short-beaked Common Dolphins when we returned home










[ Last edited by mbill at 26/06/2009 13:57 ]

cywong

Congratulations!

I am glad to know that you had such a wonderful birdwatching trip.

Thank you very much for sharing all these photos.

wgeoff

Great photos Bill

Your Wilson's Storm-petrel looks more like a Providence Petrel to me but perhaps someone else can confirm.

Mon

多謝分享精彩澳洲之旅。

cmichaell

Dear Bill,

I confirm Geoff Welch's comment that the bird in your photo is a Providence Petrel. There are two regular dark Pterodroma petrels seen on the Sydney trips which show whitish faces like your bird. One is Grey-faced Petrel P. gouldi and the other is Providence Petrel P. solandri.

The clincher for your bird is the underwing pattern with strong white undersides to the primaries and primary coverts. Also the paler brown underparts [exaggerated by the light in your photo] contrasting with the darker head and breast also indicate Providence Petrel.

Most of the world population breed only a few hundred km away at Lord Howe Island in the southern winter [May to November] so are regular along the shelf boundary off Sydney.

You obviously enjoyed the trip. I have regularly gone on the Sydney trips [2nd Saturday of each month on Hal Epstein's Halicat out of Sydney or 4th Saturday out of Wollongong on the Sandra K organised by Lindsay Smith of SOSSA] and thoroughly recommend them to anyone interested in seabirds. You also have a good chance of seeing several species of dolphins and whales. Details on Halicat or SOSSA websites.

Mike Chalmers

cyuyuen

I am sorry to make a wrong reply.

[ Last edited by cyuyuen at 26/06/2009 13:55 ]

mbill

Thanks the correction from Geoff & Mike.  
Thanks for all viewers!
2 more movies:

Yellow-nosed albatross


Short-beaked Common Dolphins


Thanks Mr. Hal Epstein arranged this memorable pelagic trip.
Also thanks Mr. Roger McGovern to make the complete bird list.
Bird List
(Note that numbers in parenthesises represent the maximum numbers seen at any one time)

Providence Petrel            5            (1)
WESTLAND PETREL              1            (1)            
Wedge-tailed Shearwater      1            (1)         
Short-tailed Shearwater      1            (1)
Fluttering Shearwater        1            (1)
Hutton’s Shearwater          1            (1)
Wandering Albatross          1            (1)
Black-browed Albatross       6            (1)
Yellow-nosed Albatross      13            (4)
Shy Albatross                1            (1)
BULLER’S ALBATROSS           2            (1)
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel        7            (3)
Australasian Gannet         23            (5)
Silver Gull                 50           (15)
Crested Tern                16            (6)
White-fronted Tern           1            (1)

Other Sightings
Short-beaked Common Dolphin         100
Flying fish                           1

[ Last edited by mbill at 26/06/2009 14:24 ]