10 April 2010    
Cape pelagic trip    
     

I was once again a guide on a ZEST for BIRDS pelagic trip today. Conditions were average with a mild wind and a reasonable sea. The first part of the day was fairly overcast, but it cleared up nicely later on with bright sunshine. Birdwise, the highlights included Spectacled and Great-winged Petrels and a fleeting Manx Shearwater whilst the other distractions included a small pod of Long-beaked Common Dolphins that visited the boat and a nice large Oceanic Sunfish.

     
Shy Albatross Great Shearwater Black-browed Albatross
     
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Subantarctic (Brown) Skua Northern Giant Petrel
     
Cape Gannet White-chinned Petrel Spectacled Petrel
     
Sabine's Gull Wilson's Storm Petrel European Storm Petrel
     
Arctic Tern Great-winged Petrel Cory's Shearwater
     

 

Full list of species recorded on the day
   
Links to pages with additional photos highlighted in red
   
Common Name Scientific Name Additional notes
     
Birds - 33 species    
     
African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini  
Subantarctic Skua Catharacta antarctica  
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus  
Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus  
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus  
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii  
Sabine's Gull Larus sabini  
Swift Tern Sterna bergii  
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis  
Common Tern Sterna hirundo  
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea  
Cape Gannet Morus capensis  
Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus  
White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus  
Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus  
Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis  
African Penguin Spheniscus demersus  
Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus  
Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli  
Pintado Petrel Daption capense  
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera  
White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis  
Spectacled Petrel Procellaria conspicillata  
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea  
Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis  
Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus  
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus  
Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris  
Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta  
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri  
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos  
Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus  
European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus  
     
     
Mammals - 3 species    
     
Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera edeni 1 individual
Long-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis c5 individuals
Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus  
     
     
Other sightings - 1 species    
     
Oceanic Sunfish Mola mola