TRIP REPORT
19 July 2009

An unexpected south-east wind effectively put paid to the intended trip on Saturday. Fortunately the wind died in the night and apart from a 'lumpy' swell in False Bay the run to Cape Point in the aftermath of the south-easter was spray-free and comfortable on board Allan Blacklaw's extremely well equipped 'Destiny'.

As always rounding Cape Point in the morning light is a very special experience that demands photographic attention. Soon afterwards we connected with our first true pelagic seabird in the form of a White-chinned Petrel that careened across the bow. This was followed by White-chinned Petrel sightings in super-abundance throughout the day, matched only by Sooty Shearwater sightings, as they filed past in a southerly direction..

Close in shore a constant stream of Cape Cormorants and Cape Gannets in varying plumage stages criss-crossed in opposite directions all the way out to Bellows Rock. Amongst the bird mix, Swift Terns and White-breasted Cormorants flew restlessly about, while Kelp Gulls in loose formation headed out to sea in search of a working trawler. With this common purpose in mind we too headed south-west of Cape Point for the trawling grounds with all onboard scanning the horizon for the first albatross sighting.

We were not disappointed, with a magnificent adult Shy Albatross sweeping across our wake in spectacular fashion. In short order several successive sightings were notched up complemented by a single Antarctic Prion that zigzagged across the swells before disappearing into a trough directly ahead of the bow.

Once through the extremely busy shipping lane, we set off in search of a working trawler.

All around the number and variety of pelagic seabirds were on the increase with Sub-Antarctic Skua, Pintado Petrel, Northern and Southern Giant Petrel, Black-browed Albatross and another Antarctic Prion being added to the list.

A distant sighting of a freezer trawler called for a change of course but unfortunately the vessel was steaming north at speed and we could not close the gap. As luck would have it our course now cut the path of two working long-line fishing boats, each with an impressive following of seabirds in tow.

At this stage we were over 20 miles off Cape Point in perfect weather with a light breeze keeping the pelagic mix aloft in excellent photographic light. With no other boat prospects in sights we elected to stay put and to scan the fluctuating mix of seabirds for a possible 'rarity'. And we were not disappointed, with a single Spectacled Petrel winging its way towards us on several occasions as it entered the squabbling fray in the wake of a boat retrieving its long line. Add to this a persistent Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross that appeared to know exactly where to go for scraps, and three more Antarctic Prions sightings in the mix of things and you have a flavour of the day.

Of interest was the complete absence of Wilson 's Storm Petrels on the day - none sighted anywhere at all. Most odd with no explanation offered. Pelagic seabirds aside the highlight for most was a pod of Humpbacked Whales which appeared quite unexpectedly inside of Bellows Rock. Far from sounding, the pod frolicked around with repeated fin slapping displays before moving off towards Cape Maclear .

Returning to Simon's Town via the Bank Cormorants at Partridge Rock a further Hump-backed Whale was seen breaching off Millers Point to close the proceedings for the day.

All in all a great pelagic trip filled with memorable sightings under the competent skippering of Allan Blacklaw who looked after us extremely well in every respect, including the platters of outstanding snacks prepared by his wife!

Species list and estimates of numbers for the day are as follows:

Cape Cormorant too numerous to assess
White-breasted Cormorant 50
Crowned Cormorant 5
Bank Cormorant 20
Cape Gannet 100
Shy Albatross 150
Black-browed Albatross 75
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 1
Northern Giant Petrel 9
Southern Giant Petrel 1
White-chinned Petrel 500
Sooty Shearwater 150
Spectacled Petrel 1
Sub-antarctic Skua 20
Swift Tern 30
Antarctic Prion 4
Pintado Petrel 12
Kelp Gull 50

Many thanks to the Skipper Alan and to Patrick for the detailed trip report. On board was also an avid 14 year old Cape Town birder, who so enjoyed the trip that he sent me his own trip report.