Soldiers Point

I regularly see Australian Gannets out to sea from the rocks at Soldiers Point, but had the luck to have three circling above me as I waited for the red-capped plovers to forget about me and come closer. (They never did but that may have been because of my antics in capturing gannet images.)

Kimberley Coast

We spent the morning on a whale watching trip which offered distant views of lesser frigate birds, wilson's storm petrel and brown boobys and close-ups of silver gulls. We came across a mass of fish which were being herded by dolphin, and a mother humpback whale and calf idly resting on the surface of the water. No spy hops, breaching or tail slaps, but I did capture a fin slap and it was great to watch them just relaxing.

Port Stephens Pelagic

From Newcastle to the continental shelf is quite a distance, so novocastrian birdos tend to head north or south to embark on Pelagic trips, to reduce the mainly uneventful travelling time. (BTW the stars indicate points where natural gas bubbles up.)  The Hunter Bird Observers have organised regular trips from Nelson Bay this year, and though they are all fully booked, I got a call to say a spot had opened up this weekend.

And what a trip it was. Even thirty year veterans were adding ‘lifers’ to their list.

Pomarine Jaeger

Fleshy-footed Shearwater

Brown Booby

Streaked Shearwater

 

Crested Tern

Tahiti Petrel

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Red-footed Booby

Bird list:
White-bellied Storm-petrel
Wilson's Storm-petrel
Tahiti Petrel
Solander's Petrel
Sooty Shearwater
Streaked Shearwater
Fleshy-footed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Brown Booby
Red-footed Booby
Pomarine Jaeger
Little Penguin
Great Crested Tern
Silver Gull
Pied Cormorant

Nelson Bay

Australasian Gannet

Messing about in boats at Nelson Bay on a perfect spring Saturday, we saw a good variety of sea birds, bottlenose and common dolphin, and the fins of a pair of Minke Whales.