Green Cape 2008

The Green Cape light station from the headland

Sunrise from the verandah of Cottage 2

View at the Cape

Green Cape - August 4th to August 8th

Mavis Russell discusses some important point with John Disney

Visit by Mavis Russell, John Disney and PJF.

We arrived on Monday 4^th August in the early afternoon and settled into cottage 2, the northern cottage of the duplex. Monday was fine with cloud building in the late afternoon. The sea was calm and few seabirds were observed. Tuesday was grey, wet and windy all day and again few seabirds were to be seen. The cold wind blew at moderate strength from the south west and continued to blow from this direction for the next two days. Wednesday started overcast but cleared by mid day to give long sunny periods in the afternoon with wind strength easing but still persisting from the south west. Thursday morning was calm but overcast and by late afternoon rain and a strengthening wind returned. Friday morning was sunny but few seabirds were evident early in the day. The seas throughout this trip remained mostly placid with only moderate swell at times and there were few occasions when whitecaps were evident. The following map, courtesy of the CSIRO 'point n click sea surface temperature' website, shows the sea temperature conditions at the time of our visit.

Wave washed platform near Pulpit Rock

Rock platform at the bottom of the staircase - Pulpit Rock

We did not venture far on the Monday; visiting the point briefly in the mid afternoon. Wednesday afternoon we walked to the Pulpit rock and back from the main track and on Thursday morning we again left the car at the start of the Pulpit rock track and walked back to the cottages along the light to light trial. PJF had visited the point early in the morning from soon after dawn until 0800hr.

Heath formations at Green Cape and track to Pulpit Rock

Almost nothing was in flower on the heaths with very few Banksia sp. showing fresh flowering spikes and there was little sign of flowering in Leptospermum or Melaleuca. No butterflies were noted.

The following pictures illustrate some of the flowering plants we did find.

Old-man Banksia Banksia serrata

A Donkey Orchid - Diuris sp.

Silky Purple-Flag Patersonia sericea

Needlebush Hakea (sericea?)

Dwarf She-oak Allocasuarina nana - female flowers above and male below

Common Heath Epacris impressa

A small Boronia?

Names and order of birds follow Les Christidis and Walter E. Boles, 2008 Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds (CSIRO: Collingwood).

Birds seen:

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche malanophris
Single adult birds seen on 5^th and 6^th. Not confirmed to species (melanophris/impavida)

Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta subsp.
The most numerous species of albatross seen this trip with numbers up to 10-15 seen most days. Separation of Tasmanian Shy Albatross Thalassarche c. cauta and Auckland Shy Albatross Thalassarche c. steadi is not possible.

Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos
Seen every day but fewer than Shy Albatross at all times. Two subspecies occur which are identifiable in the field. Western Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche c. chlororhynchos and Eastern Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche c. bassi. Birds seen were taken to be of the latter subspecies.

Giant-Petrel sp. Macronectes sp.
One immature seen on 5^th and a pale phase Southern Giant-Petrel M. giganteus was seen far out to sea the late morning on 6^th.

Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur
Two birds identified feeding not far off the point, mid afternoon on 4^th.

Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia
A few birds seen each day. Never in large numbers.

Common Diving-Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix
Two or possibly a few more seen just before noticing the Fairy Prions on 4^th. They were sitting on the water and making short flights before diving into the face of the waves.

Little Penguin Eudyptula minor
A few heard at sea each day.

Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
Seen every day but not in large numbers and all plumage types from juvenile to adult seen.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Two adults and at least one sub-adult seen. Two adult birds calling and circling over the forest north of Pulpit rock trail in the area where a nest site is known to be present. For some of the time they were mobbed by an Australian Raven.

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
One seen moving down east side of the Cape towards the point in the late morning of 7^th.

Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
One bird seen near cottages on 6^th.

Brown Skua Stercorarius antarticus
One bird seen off the point during the morning on 6^th and another seen flying out from Disaster Bay early in the morning on 7^th.

Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii
A few passing back and forth each day at the Cape.

Pacific Gull Larus pacificus
One immature seen on 5^th flying north along the east side of the Cape and one adult seen rounding the point going south early on 7^th.

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

Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus
A group of at least 8 present near the cottages each day. At least two coloured males seen; one still obviously in transition moult.

White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
One seen near cottages on 4^th.

Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
A few heard close to Cape 6^th and 7^th.

Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera
Recorded each day. Often present in the large Coast Banksia Banksia integrifolia close to the entrance gate. Not very vocal. Not numerous nor conspicuous and not seen elsewhere.

Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
One seen at the end of the Pulpit Rock trail on 6^th.

The Tawny-crowned Honeyeater

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Glyciphila melanops
One bird seen along Pulpit Rocks trail on 6^th.

New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
None singing. Seen on heath in small numbers during walks on 6^th and 7^th.

Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
Heard in dense Melaleuca sp. scrub near Cemetery on several occasions.

Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Heard occasionally on heath and one seen during walk on 7^th.

Australian Raven Corvus coronoides
Two birds seen near Cottages and another mobbing the White-bellied Sea-eagles over the forest area on 7^th (see above).

Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis
None seen.

Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
One seen near cottages 7^th.

No pigeons were seen, no cormorants, no Sooty Oystercatchers, no parrots, no Southern Emu-wrens and no Striated Fieldwrens. Several other species usually noted at Green Cape were also not observed on this trip.

Mammals and reptiles seen:

Bandicoot sp.
Numerous fresh diggings seen to the cemetery on 7^th.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus
One seen near cottages on 6^th.

The Swamp Wallaby at the Cape

Black (Swamp) Wallaby Wallabia bicolour
One seen near the Point on 7^th. Another seen on the walk on 7^th.

Australian Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus (doriferus)
The usual loafing group of about 10-15 individuals seen in the water off the Cape every day

European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
None seen.

Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis
None seen.

Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncates
None seen.

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Two seen moving north on 5^th during the afternoon. No others seen.

Amphibolurus? Sp. (a Dragon sp.) found on Banksia serrata during the walk on 7th.