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A Cape Town Pelagics trip departed
from Simonstown at 07h35 on Saturday 19th
September guided by Cape Town Pelagics guide Bruce
Dyer.
Several dozen Red-winged Starling and Speckled
Pigeon as well as Hartlaub’s and Kelp
Gull were conspicuous in the harbour prior to
sailing. A cold front and subsequent strong seas had
passed by earlier in the week keeping our hopes alive
that the birding would be good.
Large numbers of Cape Cormorant
and a single foraging Crowned Cormorant as
well as several Swift (or Crested) Tern and
a single Grey Heron were viewed on a moored
pipe while we navigated our way out of the harbour.
A group of several African Penguins was seen
heading out to sea. Then some blows were seen and
soon were in view fairly nearby. Magnificent views
of two Southern Right Whales - one with
extensive white markings - were had by all. Several
more groups of Southern Right Whale were seen
before we got to Cape Point.
We stopped briefly in the front
of the awe-inspiring cliffs of Cape Point for a photographic
moment and to make radio contact with the lighthouse.
We headed out towards the Cape Canyon trawl grounds
into a fresh north-westerly and moderate swell as
well as overcast skies and intermittent showers falling
in the area. The conditions for observation were particularly
difficult and were forced to reduce speed considerably
to make the trip more comfortable for all aboard.
Large numbers of Cape Cormorant were feeding
on what appeared to be small Anchovy. The feeding
birds also included small numbers of Cape Gannet,
Antarctic and Common Terns and a good view
of a single much sought after tri-coloured Sabine’s
Gull. We had barely bumped our way past
Bellows when we were treated to several dozen Long-snouted
Common Dolphins playing around the boat. Numbers
of Sooty Shearwater and White-chinned Petrel
began to appear more frequently and it was not long
before the first Shy Albatross appeared.
After more than an hour of grind,
bump and splashing we got a radio call from a nearby
vessel giving us a position of a trawler, much to
everyone’s relief. We had moments before the call
picked up the vessel on the radar. Soon the numbers
of birds began to increase, in particular Wilson’s
Storm Petrel. We reached the trawler shortly
after it have retrieved its catch and steamed off
erratically. Many dozens of Black-browed and
Shy Albatross of all stages from juvenile to
adult were noisily squabbling over scraps and wheeling
about the surrounding waters in the wake of the trawler.
Hundreds of White-chinned Petrel and Pintado
Petrel were noisily squabbling over scraps. A
few Sub-antarctic Skuas were present as were
several Kelp Gulls. Thankfully we noticed another
trawler nearby which was obviously busy trawling and
soon reached this vessel to view stupendous numbers
of Black-browed and Shy Albatross, White-chinned
and Pintado Petrel and Wilson’s Storm
Petrel. Relatively few Sooty Shearwaters
were present. Disappointingly few Giant Petrel
were on show, but one Northern and several
Southern Giant Petrels were eventually seen. All
were juvenile, being very almost black. Adults exhibit
a much paler head and greyer body plumage. A fleeting
glance of a Great Shearwater was all that we
could muster. A few Cape Fur Seal also attended
the trawlers.
We left the trawler at 12h15 and
headed back to Simonstown. Progress back towards Simonstown
was much more pleasant with a following sea and wind.
Once around Cape Point and back into more calm waters,
we headed for Buffels Bay via a deep cave at the base
of a cliff and flushed three Hadeda Ibis from
within. We stopped for a light lunch and added some
unusual birds and mammals to our “pelagic” trip, e.g.
Ostrich and Bontebok. After the scrumptious
meal we stopped at Partridge Point to view the colony
of highly endangered Bank Cormorant and the
nearby rock with its breeding White-breasted
Cormorant. Most rocks also included many Cape
Cormorant as well as a Crowned Cormorant.
The outer-most rock had several dozen snoozing Cape
Fur Seal which barely gave our boat a sideways
glance. Our final stop was at Boulders to view several
African Penguins ashore as well as providing
a fleeting look at two African Black Oystercatchers.
Most penguins on the rock were, as in the previous
week’s trip, in immature plumage.
We arrived back in harbour at 14h30.
Bird List
Shy Albatross > 300 (adults,
imm and juv present)
Black-browed Albatross > 200 (adults, imm and juv
all present)
White-chinned Petrel > 2000
Pintado Petrel > 2000
Southern Giant Petrel > 4
Northern Giant Petrel 1
Wilson’s Storm Petrel > 300
Sooty Shearwater > 50
Great Shearwater 1
Cape Gannet > 500
Sub-antarctic Skua > 5
Kelp Gull > 50
Hartlaub’s Gull > 10
Sabine’s Gull 1
Cape Cormorant > 2000
Crowned Cormorant 2
Bank Cormorant 22 pairs
White-breasted Cormorant 15 pairs
Swift Tern > 20
Antarctic Tern > 10
Common Tern > 20
African Penguin < 15
African Black Oystercatcher 2
Ostrich 4
Hadeda Ibis 3
Grey Heron 1
Mammal List
Cape Fur Seal > 120
Southern Right Whale 6
Common Dolphin c.300
Bontebok 4
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 Bruce Dyer.
To book, simply email
or phone us, or submit a
booking enquiry online.
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