TRIP REPORT
3 October 2011

A group of birders led by Alvin Cope left Simon's Town at 08:15 on Monday 3 October 2011 aboard the White Pointer

in virtually no wind and a medium sea. Strong South East winds preceded the trip, and blew up again on the following days.

A single Southern Right Whale showed itself briefly off Miller's Point and a single White-chinned Petrel was seen on the way to the Point.

We headed out in a south westerly direction, seeing very few birds in the first 12 miles. A shark longliner at 15 miles provided a few birds, and we left it heading further out in a small sea and very little wind hoping for more fishing boats. Despite the good viz, at 25 miles no other vessel was seen and tuna fishing boats at 32 miles reported no longliners or trawlers in the area. We spotted a small raft of birds and spent the rest of the day in the area, with low numbers of birds and not much variety. Two Black-Bellied Storm Petrels being the highlight of the day.

The trip back was uneventful, inside the Bay being calm and windless .

List of birds seen:

Shy Albatross 40
Blackbrowed Albatross 2
Northern Giant Petrel 2

Southern Giant Petrel 2
White-chinned Petrel 100
Sooty Shearwater 5
Great Shearwater 1

Pintado Petrel 10

Wilson's Storm Petrel 3

Black-Bellied Storm Petrel 2

Cape Gannet 40
Subantarctic Skua 2
Swift Tern 4

Common Tern 5
Arctic Tern 2

and inshore,

African Penguin
Whitebreasted Cormorant
Cape Cormorant
Crowned Cormorant
Bank Cormorant

Cape Gannet

African Black Oystercatcher
Kelp Gull
Hartlaub's Gull

Swift Tern

Sandwich Tern

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Mammals

Cape Fur Seal
Southern Right Whale