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Trip Highlights: Great-winged
Petrel, Parasitic Jaeger and Pomarine
Jaeger
At 07h30 on Thursday 10 November
2011, a group of birders departed Simonstown harbour
aboard a Cape Town Pelagics trip guided by Cape Town
Pelagics tour leader Barrie Rose and headed for the
trawling grounds beyond Cape Point.
Conditions were relatively calm
after the previous day’s strong winds and the trip
to Cape Point was pleasant enough with White-chinned
Petrels and a pair of Southern Right
Whales spicing the usual coastal species.
Once we had passed Cape Point and
were heading seawards in a south-westerly direction
we slowed up to negotiate a fairly strong sea. A few
Sooty Shearwaters and a couple of Parasitic
Jaegers (Arctic Skua) were initially the only
additions to our list. It was really a case of ‘biting
the bullet’ and bashing our way through the fairly
stiff sea.
At 15 miles the sea eased as we
broke through strong current lines and to our delight
a hake long-liner appeared on the horizon. We pulled
in behind the fishing boat and slowed right down.
Everybody was able to relax and enjoy the spectacle.
Without any trouble we picked up the four regular
species of albatross Shy, Black-browed,
Indian and Atlantic Yellow-nosed
- both Northern and Southern Giant
Petrels and other species regularly seen at
this time of year. Species of interest were a number
of Pintado Petrels (quite late in the
season), many Great Shearwaters, European
Storm Petrels and the highlight of the
day at least 2 Great-winged Petrels.
After spending 2 hours in the company
of the fishing fleet we headed back home. Our trip
to Cape Point produced 2 sightings of Humpbacked
Whale, a Bryde’s Whale and a
Pomarine Jaeger (Skua).
After lunching under the cliffs
just inside Cape Point, we paid a visit to the Bank
Cormorant colony and Cape Fur Seal roost at Partridge
Point before docking at 1500.
Bird species seen
Shy Albatross - 120
Black-browed Albatross - 20
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross
- 1
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross -
4
Northern Giant Petrel - 4
Southern Giant Petrel - 6
White-chinned Petrel ca 1000
Pintado Petrel - 20
Great-winged Petrel - 2
Sooty Shearwater - 20
Great Shearwater - 200
Wilson’s Storm Petrel - 100
European Storm Petrel - 200
Cape Gannet - 80
Subantarctic Skua - 5
Parasitic Jaeger 3
Pomarine Jaeger - 1
Sabine’s Gull - 4
Arctic Tern - 1
Common Tern 25 and coastal
Swift Tern coastal and to 8mls
Sandwich Tern - coastal
Kelp Gull 10 and coastal
Cape Cormorant coastal and to 5mls
White-breasted Cormorant - coastal
Bank Cormorant - coastal
African Penguin coastal
Mammal species seen
Cape Fur Seal 50+
Southern Right Whale 2
Humpbacked Whale 2
Bryde’s Whale - 1
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 Barrie Rose.
To book, simply email
or phone us, or submit a
booking enquiry online.
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