It's not often you see the terms "family holiday" and "pellagic cruise" together unless you are saying something like:
"Pete and Kath's relationship never really recovered from the infamous pellagic-cruise family-holiday incident"
White-capped albatross (or Shy albatross depending on which guide you are using), 15 April 2014
There are cruises run from Adventure Bay on Tasmania's Bruny Island by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys marketing spectacular scenery and the exhilaration of moving in powerful boats close to blow holes and sea tunnels. The opportunity to see wildlife such as seals, dolphins, whales and, yes, birds is also advertised.
On our stay at Bruny with our double-family group of nine (a few proclaiming definite sea sickness tendencies) I knew that the possibility of orchestrating a boat trip in the open sea were not great. This was April this year.
Well the pictures tell the story of a calm, mostly sunny day and an exhilarating and memorable trip! Entertaining guides (perhaps a little crazy!), no sea-sickness and an exciting boat ride had everyone happy.
Buller's albatross
One of each of the albatross species with a Silver gull for good measure
Crested tern
One of the roosting Black-faced cormorants shown above
Sooty oystercatcher
Great cormorant
Seal colony at The Friars
What are the chances of another moment in my life that I may photograph a dolphin and albatross in the same shot?
If you're curious to know more here's a 2 minute home movie with our experience of the cruise (you'll find many more on youtube including some professionally shot films commissioned by the company -this and more at the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys website)
'Traveled with Richard and nephew Moses to Cat Bay at the weekend which is reportedly a haunt for Black-faced cormorant. Unlike the other cormorants we see in Australia this fellow sticks to the coast and offshore islands of southern Australia. As a result, it is a cormorant that one has to go and look for rather than encounter incidentally. Having said that it is my experience that they are extremely sedentary - returning to a previous black-faced haunt is generally successful.
Black-faced cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens
This particular haunt is Flynn's Beach at Phillip Island's Cat Bay. It is easy to see the remains of an old jetty looking NE from the Cat Bay car park and on it there are often cormorants. I understand the jetty was built to unload passengers visiting a Phillip Island resort lodge in the days before the large bridge at San Remo. Guests would stay at the lodge and be taken to see the nightly arrival of a colony of Little penguin Eudyptula minor. This event is now promoted internationally as the famed Penguin Parade.
With binoculars check from the car park for the presence of cormorants and then enjoy the beach walk. The old jetty pylons may be approached from the Cat Bay or Flynn's Beach car parks. There is also an unmarked management track that leads from the main road opposite the Penguin Parade buildings. This is hard to find but leads straight to the pylons.
Black-faced cormorant, Flynn's Beach, Phillip Island
One of those iphone panorama shots (markedly exaggerating the curve of the bay)
Seven Black-faced cormorants - also a Great cormorant (top right) and a Little pied cormorant (middle right)
Comparison view Black-faced and Great cormorant
Little pied coromorant
On this occasion we did approach from the dune lending this initial view of the scene:
The birds were quite relaxed with our presence, only the Great cormorant flew off. I have found another reliable place for Black-faced cormorant is the Port Fairy's Moyne River rocky breakwater. Again the bird tolerated very close inspection:
Black-faced cormorant, Port Fairy
Perhaps not so endearing close-up but generally the striking pied look with brilliant white and no other colour makes for a generally handsome cormorant ("no other colour" except for that piercing green-blue eye)!
Music, great coastline, festival fun ....... and birds. Yes, this may become an annual post topic (see Mr Qwirk & the kestrels)!
We have just returned from this year's festival. Today I noticed this banner which captured all things good about the PFFF!
The festival can be as big or as intimate as you like. I am a big fan of the American folk-blues singer Eric Bibb (along with thousands of others). He easily filled the largest stage:
Highlight in this performance? "Don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down". Youtube clip features an earlier performance (some other festival, some other person's camera).
But often it's the gems you take away from more intimate stages that you remember most. He we see Liz Fencham, April Verch (Canada) and the Australian-Irish duo Hat Fitz and Carla Robinson pictured here with Jeff Lang (right) adding a second guitar.
"But where are the birds?" I hear you complain! The images selected are those readily seen at Port Fairy and were captured within the town area.
Long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)
This Buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis) wasn't sure whether it should cast a shadow or a reflection for the most interesting shot!
Singing honeyeater (Lichenostomus virescens)
I'm tickled when birds sit on television antennae. I like to think that there must be something good on! On this occasion it is the introduced European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). This Black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris) was hunting overhead as we walked to the festival arena.
Hoary-headed grebe (Poliocephalus policephalus)
I did that thing where you pretend you're not interested in the diving bird until he dives - then you scurry to a better position! When he pops up again you can see them think "Crikey! (ozzie bird) I thought you were way over there!" The Hoary -headed grebe can dive with an unnaturally large explosion of water for such a little bird "Pop!"
Black-faced cormorant (Leucocarbo fuscescens)
I have only seen this species twice - both times at Port Fairy
where they are readily seen
And yes Mr Quirk was a Port Fairy sighting again this year!
