TRIP REPORT
14 March 2011

A flock of birders led by Alvin Cope left Simon's Town on Monday 14 March in windless and bumpy conditions aboard the White Pointer II. A grey-Headed Gull, a Crowned Cormorant and 2 Grey Herons in the harbour got us off on the right foot.

A few pelagic birds were seen on the way to the Point, and we were greeted by the predicted big sea on the way out. a flock of a few hundred Cory's Shearwater was seen just east of the Bellows and a few White-chinned Petrel and Sooty Shearwater and Great Shearwater were seen on the way out, including 2 Parasitic Jaegers and a Sub-Antarctic Skua that stayed with the boat for 5 minutes, often close enough to be touched, convinced that it was going to be fed.

The birds picked up on the way out and we were indeed fortunate to find a trawler at 20 miles, which obligingly started hauling 30 minutes after we got to it.

We spent the rest of the trip with this vessel amongst hundreds of birds in no wind and much less swell than we expected. A reasonably friendly Long-tailed Jaeger a VERY friendly Spectacled Petrel and a very unfriendly Flesh-footed Shearwater (seen by some) increased the number of species seen around the trawler. We stayed with this vessel until it started trawling again before turning for home. The journey back was much easier than the outward one and an Atlantic Blue Shark was spotted by the crew, but not seen again. Two Pomerine Jaegers and a few Arctic Jaegers were seen inside the Bay.

Of interest, no Giant Petrels or European Storm Petrels and comparatively high numbers of Yellow-Nosed Albatross.

List for the day:

Shy Albatross - 100
Blackbrowed Albatross - 50
Indian Yellow-Nosed Albatross - 10
Atlantic Yellow-Nosed Albatross - 20
White-Chinned Petrel - 200
Spectacled Petrel - 1
Flesh-footed Shearwater - 1
Sooty Shearwater - 30
Great Shearwater - 300
Cory's Shearwater - 500
Wilson's Storm Petrel - 40
Cape Gannet - 50
Subantarctic Skua - 10
Pomarine Jaeger - 2
Arctic Jaeger - 6
Longtailed Jaeger - 1
Sabines Gull - 40
Common Tern - 10
Arctic Tern - 5

Coastal

African Penguin
Kelp Gulls, Hartlaub's Gulls
Cape Cormorant,Crowned Cormorant & Bank Cormorants
African Black Oystercatcher.

Mammals - only Cape Fur Seals.

Another very good trip thanks to skipper Chris Fallows and thanks to Alvin Cope

for guiding and the trip report.