TRIP REPORT
10 September 2008

After waiting three days for the stormy weather to settle, Wednesday 17th September provided a gap, and the group of overseas birders set off from Simon's Town, with Ross Wanless as the guide, in stunning, near-windless conditions,
and immediately encountered a southern right whale goofing around the harbour. Except for one southern skua, the trip to the point was uneventful, and although Chris Fallows reported two shy albatrosses at Seal Island in the middle of the bay, we saw none, nor was there much life at the point, bar the usual coastal species.

As we began to near the shelf-break we picked up on a trawler, and by the time we got there it was heaving with birds. It was one of the
most spectacular trips I have done, in brilliant sunshine with smooth
seas, a gentle swell and thousands of birds. The trip list had racked
up quickly as we moved around the flock when I yelled for the skipper to stop the boat. A very large albatross was sitting on the water a few meters to the starboard. It was in the glare, but it soon took off and showed clean white tail and back and plain black wings - a NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS! We ended the day with three sightings, almost certainly of the same bird, the last of which allowed for much closer views in much better lighting. We were able to pick up on both giant-petrel species, and enjoyed the few Great Shearwaters that were knocking around en route to Tristan and Gough. Unfortunately the water was not quite warm enough to have given much chance of a great-winged petrel, and we saw a single Indian yellow-nosed albatross and no Atlantics.

After several hours spent birding behind two trawlers in superb
conditions, we headed for home. The seas had improved to almost
idyllic conditions, and we were inside the bay in just over an hour!
We stopped off at Partridge Point for the bank cormorants before
docking.

Species seen
Swift tern - coastal
Kelp gull - coastal and pelagic
Hartlaub's gull - coastal
Southern skua - 20
White-breasted cormorant - coastal
Cape cormorant - coastal
Bank cormorant - coastal
Cape gannet - coastal and pelagic
African penguin - coastal
Northern royal albatross - 1
Shy albatross - 800
Black-browed albatross - 1000
Indian yellow-nosed albatross - 1
Juvenile yellow-nosed albatross - 1
Southern giant-petrel - 2
Northern giant-petrel - 2
Pintado petrel - 1000
Wilson's storm-petrel - 500
White-chinned petrel - 1000
Sooty shearwater - 20
Great shearwater - 20

Marine Mammals:
Cape fur seal - abundant
Southern right whale - 2

Many Thanks to skipper Barry and to Ross for the guiding and the
trip report.
Come and enjoy some Pelagic Birding at its best and get really
close to the Albatrosses.
A few places are available on the trips for 11/12 & 25/26 October,
1/2 & 15/16 November, and 13/14 & 27/28 December.Please contact me on 083 311 11 40 or by e-mail for your bookings.
Kind Regards
Anne Gray