Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - November 2022

Upcoming bird-watching trips and other birding events. Announce your counts, field trips, working bees, cost-share birding trips etc.
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Oscar Thomas
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Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - November 2022

Postby Oscar Thomas » Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:29 pm

Kia ora,

I have two upcoming full-day pelagic trips with Ezifish Charters out of Moeraki, Otago to the offshore canyons. There should be great opportunities for photos and viewing of a range of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, penguins and shags. Spring/Summer has been reliable for up to 4 Storm Petrel species (Grey-backed, Black-bellied, Wilson's and White-faced), 8 albatross species including Campbell Island Albatross, Broad-billed and Fairy Prions, Mottled and Cooks Petrels, and heaps of Shearwaters. Orca, Hector’s Dolphin, Long-finned Pilot Whales and Shepherd's Beaked Whales have also all been observed.

The upcoming trip dates and spaces available are as follows. This will be updated so check back:
- Saturday 12th November (FULL)
- Sunday 13th November (6 spaces)
To reserve a spot on any trip please email oscarkokako@gmail.com.

We will depart Moeraki on the 16.5m long, 5m wide fiberglass vessel "The Sirocco". Departure times to be confirmed but trips will last approx. 8 hours. You’ll need to bring your own food, drink and other supplies for the trip, and a BBQ sausage sizzle lunch will be provided. To confirm you will need to make a deposit of $165 (which is only refundable to people who pull out if I can fill your spot before the trip takes place). The final trip cost will be sorted closer to the time and depend on the number of people confirmed on the day. If the trip is cancelled due to weather then the payment will be fully refunded. The call will be made by the skipper about 48hrs ahead of the trip. Get in touch if you have any questions.

Ngā mihi nui
Last edited by Oscar Thomas on Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:56 pm, edited 6 times in total.
andrewcrossland
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Re: Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - August and September

Postby andrewcrossland » Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:55 pm

Hey Oscar, any chance you can post some photos of the boat? cheers
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - August and September

Postby Oscar Thomas » Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:10 pm

These are the best I have, the inside area is only small but the big back deck and sheltered seats are great for viewing seabirds. Will try get a better one showing this next time.
299947016_741784060215033_3036563471872563376_n.jpg
299947016_741784060215033_3036563471872563376_n.jpg (63.1 KiB) Viewed 3485 times
Sirocco.OscarThomas.jpg
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - August and September

Postby Oscar Thomas » Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:22 pm

The August Moeraki pelagics this weekend were successful with a great mix of winter species seen and lifers for several on board. One new species for the Moeraki list after 8 trips now completed was Grey-faced Petrel, putting us on a total of 32 tubenoses and 45 seabird species. Unfortunately Chris, who really wanted to see a Grey Petrel, elected to eat his lunch inside when the sole flyby occurred, but it has given him incentive to come back!

Species estimates: https://ebird.org/atlasnz/tripreport/73106
Little Penguin - 5
Southern Royal Albatross - 22 (15)
Northern Royal Albatross - 6 (2)
Black-browed Albatross - 3 (1)
White-capped Albatross - 74 (55)
Salvin’s Albatross - 16 (10)
Buller’s Albatross - 40 (20)
Northern Giant Petrel - 6 (4)
Southern Giant Petrel - 1
Cape Petrel - 115 (80)
White-chinned Petrel - 4
Westland Petrel - 2
Grey Petrel - 1
Short-tailed/Sooty Shearwater - 1
Fluttering Shearwater - 16
Fairy Prion - 68 (35)
Black-fronted Tern - 1
White-fronted Tern - 18
Red-billed Gull - 12
South Black-backed Gull - 25
Otago Shag - 230
Spotted Shag - 80
Pied Shag - 1
Little Shag - 2
New Zealand Fur Seal - 5
Dusky Dolphin - 1

Species estimates: https://ebird.org/atlasnz/tripreport/73107
Yellow-eyed Penguin - 1
Southern Royal Albatross - 19 (16)
Northern Royal Albatross - 8 (6)
Black-browed Albatross - 5 (2)
White-capped Albatross - 24 (16)
Salvin’s Albatross - 12 (9)
Buller’s Albatross - 67 (40)
Northern Giant Petrel - 4
Southern Giant Petrel - 1
Cape Petrel - 115 (80)
White-chinned Petrel - 3
Westland Petrel - 2
Grey-faced Petrel - 1
Grey-backed Storm Petrel - 1
Common Diving Petrel - 1
Short-tailed/Sooty Shearwater - 1
Fluttering Shearwater - 5
Fairy Prion - 25 (8)
Antarctic Prion - 3 (1)
Black-fronted Tern - 1
White-fronted Tern - 7
Red-billed Gull - 76
South Black-backed Gull - 107
Otago Shag - 220
Spotted Shag - 30
Pied Shag - 1
Little Shag - 2
Australasian Gannet - 1
New Zealand Fur Seal - 20+
Long-finned Pilot Whale - 2+

Outside brackets = day total sightings, inside brackets = high count at one time.

The upcoming trip dates and spaces available are as follows:
- Saturday 10th September (6 spaces)
- Sunday 11th September (6 spaces)
- Saturday 12th November (8 spaces, with Sunday 13th as backup in case of bad weather)
To reserve a spot on any trip please email oscarkokako@gmail.com.

Ant Prion. Oscar Thomas.jpg
Antarctic Prion flyby
Ant Prion. Oscar Thomas.jpg (405.36 KiB) Viewed 3326 times

Giant Petrels. Oscar Thomas.jpg
Northern and Southern Giant Petrels
Giant Petrels. Oscar Thomas.jpg (338.03 KiB) Viewed 3326 times

Spotted Shag. Oscar Thomas.jpg
Spotted Shag nesting on old wharf structure
Spotted Shag. Oscar Thomas.jpg (562.31 KiB) Viewed 3326 times
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - November 2022

Postby Oscar Thomas » Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:57 am

Unfortunately the September trip(s) have been cancelled due to adverse weather. The next trip is Saturday 12th November (3 spaces left, with Sunday 13th as backup in case of bad weather). I will post updates regarding 2023 trips down the line.
Initial deposit $165 (total cost if all spots filled). To reserve a spot on any trip please email oscarkokako@gmail.com. See the top post or get in touch for further details.
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Photo of the Sirocco deck with keen birders, by Nick Beckwith
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Moeraki Pelagics to Otago Canyons - November 2022

Postby Oscar Thomas » Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:46 pm

Two trips confirmed for November with Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. The 12th is currently full but I am keeping a waitlist. The 13th has several spots remaining. Initial deposit $165 (total cost if all spots filled). To reserve a spot on any trip please email oscarkokako@gmail.com. See the top post or get in touch for further details.

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