Hi Bruce,
Gannets at Popes Eye is not pelagic birding. To get reasonable numbers of pelagic birds we need to get out to the continental shelf. That means western Bass Strait off Port Fairy or Portland. Here the continental shelf is only about 50 km off-shore and 3-4 hours by fishing boat.
Cheers, Ian

Hi Jenny

I look forward to meeting up at Geelong in March.
As Rob mentioned previously, we are still working on the program and hope to have this finalised and out to memebers as soon as possible. I was also disappointed that, due to unforseen circumstances, the digiscoping didn't occur at Newcastle. However, Swarovski have been contacted and we hope that this time it will happen.

Cheers
Julie

Hi Ian,
Thanks for the clarification mate and my hat comes off to the ones who want to trek out there for the 'Big Birdie' pics and being an ex wreck diver, they are very deep waters out there and not always 'inviting' to say the least. . .
Bruce

Hi Bruce,
The 'big birdies' are the most obvious feature of pelagic birding and everyone loves to see the Wandering and Royal Albatross but for pelagic 'tragics', it is the smaller bird that can make the day. I am in admiration of the storm petrels and prions, sparrow-sized birds, that live out there 24/7, coming to land for a short time each years to breed. These tiny birds never fail to leave me wondering how it is that they can survive in such a hostile environment. Pelagic birding brings a whole new dimension to the appreciation of avian life that we don't normally see.
Cheers , Ian.

Ian, please don't get me started down another of life's interesting little trails. . .
BUT any way, I'll bite, what do you consider the best lenses for this style of work, expected cost of the boat, is this an over-nighter or just a day-trip added to the weekend?
I have heard of the little Prions before but thought that they were a migratory bird from the European area? Storm Petrels I'm more familiar with. . .
Bruce. . .

Hi Bruce,
The birds come in close to the boat so a long lens is not required. For cropped sensor cameras, 300 - 400 mm focal length is ideal. For full frame cameras, 400 - 500 mm is about right. The Port Fairy pelagics cost $180 per person and there are usually 14-15 birders on board. The cost covers the charter of the boat, skipper, deck-hand and specialist pelagic bird guide. It is a day trip, departing 7.00 am and returning about 4.30 pm. BirdLife Melbourne Photography have arranged a pelacic trip out of Port Fairy for next Sunday 23 October but it is fully subscribed. However, at this time of year which is the best time for seeing a wide range of species, the weather is unpredictable and the trip can be cancelled at short notice. We therefore have arranged two back-up days, Sunday 30 Oct and Sunday 6 November. The two back-up days are not fully booked so if you want to take a chance, send me a private email using the 'Contact the Photographer' facility my New Images gallery posts and I will put you in touch with our Commodore.

The prions we are most likely to see are Fairy Prions that breed on some small Bass Strait islands and rock stacks. Like many pelagic species, they have circumpolar distribution and only return to the breeding grounds when adult and ready to breed.

Cheers, Ian