Green Cape 2004

Report on the Canberra Ornithologists Group visit to Green Cape NSW

10-14 June 2004

Twelve members of the Canberra Ornithologists Group visited Green Cape from 10th June to 14th June 2004. The group was based in the duplex cottages originally used by the Assistant Lightkeepers. These have been refurbished splendidly and are available for short term rental from National Parks NSW.

Green Cape is within the Ben Boyd National Park forming its southern extremity. At the extremity of Green Cape the vegetation is modified heathland having suffered the existence of a lightstation since 1883 but the affected area is small. There is a dirt road that provides access to the Cape. The lightstation buildings are backed to the north and west by tall Ti-tree Melaleuca sp. and Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia). The cliff tops at the point are dominated by low coastal vegetation of native flora with patches of Coast Rosemary Westringia fruticosa, heavily wind shorn bushes of Ti-tree and clumps of Tussock Grass Poa sp. and a rush Isolepis sp. Open grassy areas mown to a short sward are maintained only in the immediate surrounds of the lighthouse buildings and along a small network of paths radiating from these buildings. The remaining heathland is not extensive but is rich in floristic diversity and is a good representative example of the coastal heathlands of southern NSW. It appears not to have been burnt for some years.

The survey area

Green Cape and the adjoining heathlands constitute the observation area. This area extends to as far north as the forest edge beyond the Pulpit Rock trail but does not include any part of the forest. Green Cape juts out almost SE. To the south-west is Disaster Bay and the coastline northwards from the point runs roughly NNW. To seawards our observations include the area to the limits of visibility which from the tip of the Cape (the point) involves about 320˚ of arc.

View from lighthouse balcony towards the point. We seawatch from the end of the track.

The lightstation buildings. Cottages at far end.

Weather, wind and sea conditions

Fine weather occurred all weekend with generally clear skies and temperatures ranging from 9º-19ºC. Most of the time sea and wind condition were not conducive to good seabird watching so our expectations were not high. Winds had been under 20 knots and from the SW during the day on the 10th and these conditions continued the next day (11th) with little swell and a wind strength of never more than 15-20 knots but often of much less. Seas were again calm with very little swell all day on the 12th with light W to N winds. The stable weather conditions persisted throughout the next day (13th) with N or NNE winds of less than 10 knots and continuing calm seas. During the early part of the following day (14th) the wind was still light from the W or NNW, increasing slightly by mid morning.

The lighthouse and the verandah of cottage 1

This door is typical of the beautiful restoration work done in the cottages

View on arrival at Green Cape

Observations on birds and mammals

Each morning we observed at the Point from 07:00 hrs for about 1 –1.5 hrs then continued surveillance of the ocean from the cottage verandah for the rest of the day, occasionally returning to the point, but resuming a watch at the point for about 1 hour at dusk. This became the standard routine although exploration of the surrounding heathlands, particularly along the Pulpit Rock track and the coastal trail from the Cape to Pulpit Rock was done by individuals and small groups from time to time throughout the visit. However, observations made on visits to Bittangabee and several other forested areas to the N have not been included as part of this report.

Sunrise over the sea

Seawatching at the point - Green Cape

View of the light station from the seawatching observation point

Little Penguin Eudyptula minor. Heard and seen at sea off the east side of the Cape on the 12th. A single bird seen at sea several time that day.

Giant Petrel sp. Macronectes sp. Seen each day with a maximum of 3 on the 13th. Probably the same individuals hanging about the Cape. One seen at sufficiently close range was identified as a Northern Giant-Petrel Macronectes halli.

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus. One all dark shearwater seen on 11th was identified as more likely this species rather than a Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris. The underwing pattern was consistent with P. griseus but it was seen at some distance from the Cape.

Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia. Seen each day with small flocks of 5-10 birds occasionally moving N or S suggesting that local movements involved about 30-50 birds.

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche malanophrys
Two birds seen on 11th (amongst rafts of Yellow-nosed Albatross T. chlororhynchos) were considered this species and not the Campbell Island Albatross T. m. impavida. One was a sub-adult.

Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta subsp. Single birds seen on 11th and 12th. Considered to be either T. c. cauta or T. c. steadi.
[Shy Albatrosses have recently been treated by some authorities as four species but are treated here as subspecies. The Tasmanian Shy Albatross Thalassarche c. cauta and the Auckland [Island] Shy Albatross Thalassarche c. steadi are not reliably separable in the field but both undoubtedly occur in the waters off Green Cape. Another, but very distinctive Shy Albatross the Chatham [Island]Albatross Thalassarche c. eremita has not so far been reported from the waters off Green Cape. The fourth subspecies is Salvin's Albatross D. c. salvini. This subspecies is identifiable in the field and has been reported from Green Cape in the past.]

Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos. Large numbers seen on the 11th with an estimate from raft counts of 100-150 birds [See also notes under Australasian Gannet]. Generally loafing in rafts of 10-20 birds sometime up to 50 or more birds together. Occasionally rafts would take off and birds would be seen drifting about low to the water before joining a existing raft or assembling as a new raft. Next day with even lighter winds there was little flying activity and numbers were down to 50+.

Following a period of increased activity in the early afternoon on 12th when a crayboat lifted some pots not far off the point we observed several Yellow-nosed Albatross playing with ‘chunks’ of whitish material that at first we took to be pieces of squid or fish. These were more likely pieces of plastic (styrofoam?) which they fussed about with and seemed never to swallow. At one time three birds were side by side doing the same thing; mandibulating, washing but never actually attempting to swallow. Often they dropped and recovered the pieces. They eventually abandoned the activity. Whatever they were playing with might not necessarily have had anything to do with the crayboat activity.

Even fewer birds were seen the following day when the number was reduced to 30+ and less than 10 were seen in the early morning of 14th. Most birds seemed to be adults with conspicuous yellow culmen markings on the bill but perhaps 5% were sub-adults with dull coloured culmens. All birds seemed to show the characteristics of the Eastern Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche c. bassi.
[Two subspecies occur which are identifiable in the field. Western Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche c. chlororhynchos and Eastern Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche c. carteri.]

Australasian Gannet Morus serrator. Seen each day. In the early afternoon on the 11th several hundred were seen plunge-diving amongst Yellow-nosed Albatross and a few Silver Gulls in a feeding frenzy S of the Cape. A pod of dolphin, presumed to be Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus (see below) was associated with this feeding activity and some large unidentified fish were circling at the surface. Fewer Gannets were seen on the following days. Birds in adult plumage outnumbered those showing signs of immature feathering. A ratio of 6:1 (29:6) was observed in a small sample passing close to the point during a 45 mins watch in the mid afternoon of the 13th. Group size in this count averaged 2 (1-4).

Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos. Two seen on the 11th and 4 on the 12th passing close to the point or feeding close by.

Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens. One bird seen feeding S of the Cape on the 12th.

White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae. At least two individuals present at the Cape most of the time.

Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra. One dark plumaged individual seen each day on rocks at the Point.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster. Seen each day at the Cape with a minimum of 2 individuals; one or more immature plumaged bird and at least 1 adult.

Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosa. A group of 5 often present on the rock slabs in front of the cottages but none seen on the 13th and only one bird present in the morning of the 14th.

Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi. On 11th at least two individuals present at feeding frenzy (see Australasian Gannet) where they constantly kleptoparasited the gannets. At least one bird present on 12th, possibly one of the same individuals.

Pacific Gull Larus pacificus. Two adults often present on the rock shelf in front of the cottages but absent all day on the 13th. An immature individual flew past going S early morning on 12th. A remarkable flock of 32 birds flew slowly down the west side of the cape in the early morning of the 14th The flock passed overhead at about 50m height then circled to land briefly on the wave-washed rock off the point but almost immediately left to continue N up the coast. Two adults remained and were presumed to be the local pair seen previously but the departing flock was almost exclusively immature birds save only one individual that was adult or close to adult plumaged.

Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae. Present at sea each day but never in large numbers.

Crested Tern Sterna bergii. A few passing back and forth each day. Some individuals seen in fish carrying courtship behaviour but not yet in breeding plumage.


White-fronted Tern Sterna striata. One seen flying N in the late afternoon on the 11th was presumably this species and not a Common Tern Stern hirundo.

Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus. One adult plumaged bird seen each day 12th-14th. This bird was easily watched down to close range and it remained within a small area of cliff top vegetation about 100m W of the Lighthouse.

Area where the Ground Parrot was most often found. The patch of Westringia towards the right hand end of the ridge was the most favoured area

Searching for the Ground Parrot. When not in the Westringia patch it was often found on the flats behind where these observers are looking.

Ground cover on the flats. This is a site at which the Ground Parot had been feeding moments before this picture was taken!


Shoot tips of the Westringia. This seemed to be the favoured part of the plant for the feeding Ground Parrot. It was impossible to see what the bird was taking and there appeared to be little evidence of its foraging when the stems were examined. It is presumed to have been taking the tip buds or parts thereof. Flowers or parts of them were never seen to be detatched during feeding activity.

Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae. Two birds often present in the vicinity of the light station each day.

Australian Pipit Anthus australis. One seen on short mown lawn E of cottages early morning 14th.

Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus. No breeding plumaged males in the party of more than 8 that was often seen in the vicinity of the lightstation and this appeared to be the general situation with groups noted elsewhere. No song.

Southern Emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus. A male seen on 12th and occasionally thereafter creeping about the outer branches of the large clump of closely windshorn Melaleuuca sp. near the point. Others found on the heathlands but none were in song.

White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis. Recorded each day.

Striated Fieldwren Calamanthus fuliginosus. One bird seen 12th and 13th in the same cliff top area as that used by the Ground Parrot (see elsewhere).

Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla. Recorded each day.

Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera. Recorded each day but not singing and remarkably inconspicuous. Often present in the large Coast Banksia Banksia integrifolia close to the entrance gate.

New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae. Seen daily with small groups present in the taller vegetation in the vicinity of the lightstation and on the heathlands. No singing.

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Phylidonyris melanops. Seen near the Lightstation and on the heathlands but few were singing and song flights uncommon.

Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis. Two seen in the vicinity of the lightstation most days but they remained remarkably quiet.

Eastern Whipbird Psephodes olivaceus. At least one was occasionally observed skulked about in the general area W of the lightstation but no calls were heard.

Raven Corvus sp. A bird seen in flight at dusk on the 11th near the cottages did not call and was not positively identified as C. coronoides or C. mellori.

Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis. Reported from the heathlands.

Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella. One reported on 12th in the heathlands.

Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena. Two seen each day feeding above the cliff tops at the Cape and in the vicinity of the lightstation.

Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus. Signs abundant but none seen.

Common Ring-tail Possum Pseudochirus peregrinus. Several seen in the area surrounding the lightstation when spotlighting early evening on 13th.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus. At least one large individual present near the lightstation.

Black (Swamp) Wallaby Wallabia bicolor. One seen several times near the lightstation.

Australian Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus (doriferus). 15-20 seen. A few individuals always present loafing in the water every day in a pod that remained offshore at the Point or just N of the Point. None seen ashore during this visit.

European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Signs present but none seen.

Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis. 100-150 individuals thought to be this species were seen heading S but associated for some time with the feeding frenzy observed on 11th (see Australian Gannet above)

Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus. 50-60 seen in a loose collection of smaller pods heading N on the 13th in the afternoon and taken to be this species from distinctive side pattern.

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae. Only seen on 14th when several small groups and a few individuals passing slowly N.


Acknowledgments

The following were participants in this visit to Green Cape: Kathy Walter and John Goldie, Julie McGuiness, Sue Lashko, Sylvia Matthews, Nancy Smale, Rosemary Ryan, Pat Williams, Brian Scales, David Rosalky, Peter and Daphne Fullagar. In preparing this report I thank all for their involvement and enthusiasm and especially for providing me with the information on which it has been prepared. I would like to thank the caretakers at Green Cape, Alan and Sandy, for their most generous hospitality expended to us all during our stay.