Trevor was once again a guide on a ZEST for BIRDS pelagic trip today. In the early part of the trip, although there was not much wind and swell, the skies were totally overcast. As we headed out past Cape Point, we encountered a small group of Sabine's Gulls resting on the water.
Continuing further out, the skies slowly started to clear and the light improved dramatically. However, as the day progressed, the wind speed also picked up a bit which started increasing swell size as well although it was never really that bad. We had to travel a long way out today before eventually finding a trawler working at 32 nautical miles offshore. All the usual birds were in attendance with the highlights being 2 Spectacled Petrels (unfortunately too quick for a photo) and a rather unfriendly Southern Fulmar that never came close to the boat at all. I still managed to get a few very distant pics of it, so it was good enough for the challenge list. Otherwise, just the usual birds were seen although many of them did put on a good display for us. Mammal highlights included a very friendly Bryde's Whale and a brief interaction with a small pod of Dusky Dolphins.
