TRIP REPORT
5 September 2009

The start of the austral spring is well known for unsettled weather seemingly associated with the change in seasons and spring tide conditions coinciding with the full moon at this time of year.

And so the run up to today's trip out of Simon's Town, with Patrick Cardwell being the Pelagic Guide,  proved no exception to the general rule with rain earlier in the week and gale force north westerly winds gusting across the Peninsula creating seriously rough seas and swell heights of up to 5 metres along the Atlantic seaboard.

On the face of it the prognosis for a pelagic trip off Cape Point for the coming weekend proved less than encouraging following  cancellations earlier in the week due to miserable weather and adverse sea conditions. So it seemed highly likely that terrestrial birding would inevitably be the weather prescribed option for the weekend with westerly winds of up to 45kms an hour forecast by Friday afternoon.

But the prevailing weather pattern around the Peninsula works in strange and wondrous ways and the expected telephone call canceling the long looked forward to charter was most surprisingly replaced by an SMS confirming arrangements would proceed as planned.

And so it was that we left the jetty at 08.00 on Saturday morning aboard Anton Potgieter's extremely well equipped and comfortably appointed supercat ‘Big Blue' across a flat False Bay in the lee of the South Peninsula .

Cape Point commanded the usual photographic stop in morning light to take in the awe and splendor of the stratified red cliffs towering impressively in sentinel mode above the foaming convergence of two major ocean currents at the south western tip of the African continent.

Beyond, the storm-lashed sea was impressive and still massive in wave height as well spaced swells surged shore-wards in a steady progression while a wide variety of seabirds funneled their way energetically through the deep troughs formed in between.

Of these the Cape Gannets and Cape Cormorants represented the majority with an increasing number of White-chinned Petrels careening back and forth in effortless flight above the spray crested swells. A Northern Giant Petrel appeared unexpectedly out of the shadow of the towering cliffs and headed out to sea with an entourage of Kelp Gulls and Swift Terns following its lead to the distant trawling grounds.

Soon afterwards the first Shy Albatross sheared across our wake and banked round for a second take while Sooty Shearwaters in frenetic wing-flashing flight weaved across the bow as we headed out beyond Bellow's Rock, an offshore granite pinnacle and the site of the wreck of the ‘Lusitania', in search of a working trawler beyond the shipping lanes.

As we progressed in the direction of a promising ‘blip' on radar Shy Albatross sightings picked up progressively across the age class spectrum interspersed by increasing numbers of White-chinned Petrels and one Soft-plumaged Petrel that cut the wake without so much as a pause for those in need of this special sighting.

By now the trawler was in sight and it became obvious from a distance that there were literally thousands of seabirds orbiting the vessel and tailing back for hundreds of metres in its wake. It was a quite unbelievable sight with birds all around and literally on top of us in uncountable numbers. Rafts of satiated Cape Gannets loafed on the surface and squalls of black and white checkered Pintado Petrels in compact groups swirled around us while the ever so endearing and extremely numerous Wilson's Storm Petrels pattered about the surface in close proximity.

Aside from the over-abundance of Shy and Black-browed Albatross squabbling over scraps the mix included several Northern Giant Petrels and a number of Subantarctic Skuas but no Yellow-nosed Albatross of either race or a Southern Giant Petrel. This loss aside, the scene was a spectacle with the stern of the trawler literally obscured at times by swirling birds, as we trailed the trawler in the hopes of securing a ‘mega' sighting.

Sadly, and not for lack of concentration this was not to be and after a couple of hours with flash cards full, we set course for home. This was not to prove uneventful and a Soft-plumaged Petrel afforded good views as it swept erratically across our wake while we enjoyed an excellent lunch of assorted bread rolls and cold meats along with a generous quantity and variety of ice cold refreshments.

Grand finale for the day was a pod of Humpbacked Whales cavorting about in Buffel's Bay on our return to Simon's Town.

Species estimated for the day were as follows:

Shy Albatross 500 plus
Black-browed Albatross 200 plus
Northern Giant Petrel 20
Soft-plumaged Petrel 2
White-chinned Petrel 400 plus
Pintado Petrel 500 plus
Great Shearwater 3
Sooty Shearwater 200 plus
Wilson's Storm Petrel 200 plus
Cape Gannet 300 plus
Subantarctic Skua 20
White-breasted Cormorant 20
Cape Cormorant 300 plus
Bank Cormorant 10
Kelp Gull 50
Swift Tern 10
Common Tern 1

All in all another great day in the deep complete with the usual mix of totally unexpected experiences and pelagic encounters that provide the fascination that brings one back in the perennial quest for sightings new and memorable that make a trip off Cape Point the very special event it always is for the birding aficionado.

Thanks to Anton  and Mickey for a most enjoyable and well skippered day and to Patrick for looking after the birders and doing the spotting & ID.