Trevor was once again a guide on a ZEST for BIRDS pelagic trip today. Fortunately, the weather was good for most of the day with a small swell and not much wind and there was also not that much cloud cover during the day, giving fairly sharp light during the middle of the day. Heading out through False Bay, it was extremely quiet and, as we rounded Cape Point, there were no pelagic species immediately visible. Only a couple of miles offshore did we get our first tubenose and what a surprise it was when we realised it was a Flesh-footed Shearwater, a very uncommon species here. Needless to say, all cameras were still below deck at this stage and this bird managed to catch us by surprise and avoid a single photo being taken of it!
We headed further out and eventually managed to locate some longliners which we then spent time with working through the groups of birds in their wakes. Most of the usual suspects were encountered with the highlight being a feeding group of Yellowfin Tuna with a Bryde's Whale in amongst them and a breaching Humpback Whale on the return trip back home. Birdwise, we had our first Cory's Shearwaters of the season and also a handful of very late Cape (Pintado) Petrels.
