|
|
|
The early morning light saw a group
of excited birders gathered at the quayside in Simons
Town for a Cape Town Pelagics trip guided by Cliff
Dorse. Once on board we made our way across the calm
waters of the idyllic False Bay. It was not long before
we stopped to enjoy great views of a single
Bank Cormorant sitting obligingly on a buoy
just outside the harbour. This distraction was soon
followed up by good views of a tight raft of African
Penguins on the water. The remainder of our
trip through False by was uneventful and we were able
to sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Just
before the iconic Cape Point we witnessed our first
White-chinned Petrels.
As we headed past the point we enjoyed good numbers
of Sooty Shearwaters and soon picked
up our first of two Manx Shearwaters
for the day. We also quickly bagged both Cory’s
and Great Shearwaters. However the
first few birds we encountered of both these species
were terribly unfriendly and did not give great views.
We headed on outwards and soon added our first Albatross
to the day list, a juvenile Shy Albatross.
We headed on out to the deep constantly scanning the
horizon for a trawler. We came across the White Pointer,
a shark viewing boat. They had put in quite a bit
of chum to attract the sharks and we spent some time
in this area. Here we added Wilson’s
Storm Petrel, Parasitic Jaeger
and Subantarctic Skua as well as
being treated to great views of most of the species
mentioned above. We then continued our outward journey
and were rewarded with lots of Shy
and Black-browed Albatross. We came
across a ski boat fishing for tuna. They had also
been chumming and there were quite a few birds in
attendance. Here we had good views of both Atlantic
and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross.
Unfortunately, we were still unable to see any signs
of trawlers or long-liners on the horizon and we continued
out for a few more miles where we encountered a few
Sabine’s Gulls. We decided
to slowly make our way back. Again we passed by the
White Pointer who very kindly invited us to come and
have a look at the Blue Sharks they
had in attendance. These magnificent animals allowed
great views and they passed within meters of us.
The highlight on the way home was a small pod of Common
Dolphin in False Bay off Smitswinkel Bay.
The mandatory stop at the Bank Cormorant
breeding colony at Partridge Point was as always a
highlight.
The following is a list of the species
seen during the course of the day. The numbers reflected
can be considered as rough estimations only.
Shy Albatross c. 50
Black-browed Albatross c. 20
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 2
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross 4
Yellow-nosed Albatross Imm 1
White-chinned Petrel c. 150
Great Shearwater c. 30
Cory’s Shearwater c. 10
Sooty Shearwater c. 200
Manx Shearwater 2
Wilson’s Storm Petrel c. 50
Subantarctic Skua 15
Parasitic Jaeger 2
Sabine’s Gull 5
Species that were common close to the coast:
African Penguin
Cape Gannet
White-breasted Cormorant
Cape Cormorant
Bank Cormorant
Crowned Cormorant
Kelp Gull
Hartlaub’s Gull
Common Tern
Swift Tern
Sandwich Tern
African Black Oystercatcer
Mammals:
Cape Fur Seal
Common Dolphin 8
Other:
Blue Sharks 2
A message from Cape Town Pelagics:
A huge thank you to our experienced skippers who are
able to safely lead us to the best birding areas and
skillfully manoeuvre the boat into just the best position
while all on board are busy concentrating on the birds!
Coordinating a pelagic trip over a year in advance
with guests from all across South Africa and different
countries around the world requires an organised office
team. We thank them for their special eye for detail
- and for the sometimes last-minute rearrangements
and frustration if the weather delays the trip to
another day! Our biggest thank-you is to our Cape
Town Pelagics guides who take time out of their work,
often involving seabirds and conservation, and time
away from their families, to provide our guests with
a world-class birding experience. Cape Town Pelagics
donates all it profits to seabirds, and so all the
participants who join the trip make a contribution
towards bird research and conservation a big thank
you from all of us.
Trip report by Cape Town Pelagics
guide Cliff Dorse.
To book, simply email
or phone us, or submit a
booking enquiry online.
|
|
|
