Oct 2011 - still seeing dugong regularly gently feeding as we cruise past....

Sept 2011 - still seeing our wonderful dugong very regularly over the last couple of months.  They are normally in a small herd of 2 to 4 and sometimes mothers with mid-sized calves.  Although there have been many many deaths of dugong along the east coast of Australia due to seagrass die-off after floods and cyclones this year, the dugong of Pumicestone Passage seem to be thriving OK so fingers crossed the future looks bright for them in these protected waters.

March 2011 - sightings are still being experienced regularly of these wonderful gentle creatures and we have even seen a baby over the last month - only a couple of months old.  So we are thrilled to know they are breeding and hope the effect of the January floods will not impact their sea grass beds too much up in this area.

January 2011 - although sightings of our wonderful dugongs have been irregular over the last couple of months, we are still seeing them on occasion.   We are keeping a close eye on water quality after the recent flood event in Brisbane & surrounds which has seen a huge amount of sediment and pollution end up in the waterways.  We are hoping they will be able to survive and their sea grass beds will not be overlay damaged due to lack of sunlight or pollution.  Pumicestone Passage is still open for fishing and swimming and although the water is a brown colour, it has not been deemed unsafe and we hope this is also the case for our dugongs.

September 2010 - still seeing this wonderful creatures regularly - almost every trip - and we have a couple of spots we are seeing them regularly.  Weather being mirror calm really helps to see them as they pop their noses up for a breath.

August 2010 - we are still seeing these wonderful gentle creatures VERY regularly over the last month - mainly on the morning cruises and when the weather is millpond & mirror calm.  Water at present is so clear we can almost see sandcrabs on the bottom.   Smooth mirror-calm winter days seem to be a real ingredient for spotting these wonderful creatures.   Recently saw a very small dugong which looked like it was reasonably newborn sticking close to mum. 

July - Aug 2010 - We have seen these wonderful creatures on almost every cruise since the beginning of July with about 8 - 10 seen on Thursday 5th August in 2 pods.  One pod had a huge male in it which we haven't seen before and there were a couple of young dugong seen as well.  The young had barnicles on them which would be annoying for them I am sure (like having an itchy bite you just want to keep scratching).    Water is beautifully clear at the moment, with the winter days being so clear and calm with little wind or waves on the water hence dugong are MUCH easier to spot.  

Feb - June 2010:   We have had regular sightings of our wonderful dugong here in the Passage over the last few months with 3 or 4 being seen regularly together which is lovely.  You can see that the larger ones are the mature ones, and the smaller ones are the juveniles although they stay with mum for quite a few years.

Dec 09-Jan 10:  We have had some AMAZING sightings of these wonderful dugong that live in the Passage.  We have been regularly sighting 6 of these creatures (possibly from one herd), with 2 of these being mums each with a juvenile swimming close by.  The Christmas Holiday period has been a surprise with the amount of REGULAR sightings we have had over the last few weeks, with 2 or 3 sightings at different spots at different times throughout one cruise.  Let's hope it is the good food source of these waters and considerate boatings that are helping these wonderful marine animals flourish here in Pumicestone Passage!!

July 09:  The dugongs are back after the winter chills and all the rain we had in May and early June, with some regular sightings now occuring.  Even saw the mother dugong with her sub-adult calf - so we are thrilled to see the gentle locals back in these waters feeding.

June 09:  Dugongs are still being seen regularly with one sighted just today (17th) just near the bridge, at Sylvan Beach heading south.  We didn't need to even be on a boat to see this one - you just needed to be onshore and know what you were looking for - a strange, large beige object swimming easily in the water with just a couple of large nostrils coming out of the water, and then its large back following through the water.  Their tail fluke does not normally come out of the water when they are on the surface, you only ever really see the bump of their nose and forehead as they breathe, and then possibly a bit of their back as they follow through and then dive.  They generally come up for breath every 5-8 minutes and forage on the sea grass beds in between breaths, hence they generally keep to relatively shallow waters, particularly if they have young, with these young needing to breath and eat more regularly. 

May/June 09:  Dugongs have been regularly sighted over the last few months which is really pleasing and even a bit surprising.  The amount of rain that has fallen in these parts over the last couple of weeks has been record breaking, however we have sighted the dugong since then, in these waters that are extremely full of fresh water runoff, as well as tannins and other undesirables coming down through the creeks and waterways into the Passage.  Anyway - we are still seeing the dugong - feeding off Gallagher's, seemingly with not a care in the world.  They have not been worried about the boat, and just keep diving, eating, and have, at times, swum right up next to and under the boat.  (The vessel has jet motors - so no props etc to damage any wildlife or feeding banks.  We generally stop and turn motors off if dugong or dolphin come too close.)

Dec-Jan 09:  We had some awesome sightings of dugongs in December with us seeing 7 dugong in one day, over 3 pods, in different places in the passage and with one seacow having a beautiful new baby with her!!   We have continued to see dugong weekly throughout the holidays which has been a fantastic thrill and surprise for us.  It was assumed that, due to the fantastic weather with many boats on the water,  the dugong would be hiding during the holidays, but they have been out and about with our baby dugong seen regularly!!

October 2008:

Over the last 2 weeks of October we saw dugong on almost every cruise with 30 October cruise seeing 3 dugong at different spots throughout the cruise and each was a different dugong.  All on board were very excited and we got some GREAT shots!!!

September 2008:

No dugongs sighted during our cruises which was of concern, however this information has gone to UQ for their research.

Early August 2008:

Lovely sightings of dugong over the last couple of days, so they are around at present and leisurely grazing as we cruise past!  We are very lucky!!

Late July 2008:

Dugong seem a bit scarce at present - cooler weather may be keeping them out in the bay.

Mid June 2008:

Yes, they have started to show up again.  We recently sighted 2 different dugong at different areas of the Pumicestone Passage through one cruise, and have had regular sightings over the last few days.  Yah!!

May 2008:

On our recent cruise we saw 3 Dugong near the Pacific Harbour entrance. One was obviously a calf and they were happily feeding there. 

They seemed to be fairly quiet at the moment, generally, possibly due to the amount of fresh water currently in the Passage from recent weather and may be out in the Bay until this clears? 

We have put in a submission for a couple of 'Go Slow' zones within the Passage at the 'hot spots' where we regularly see the dugong but we are not sure if the EPA have taken this onboard yet.

Oct 2011 - the dolphin we are seeing are being very frisky and have put on some great shows for our passengers.....

Sept 2011 - For some months earlier this year we did not see alot of dolphins, but now that it is spring, they are being seen more and more and they are quite frisky!!  Have seen them regularly around the boat as well as fishing and putting on quite a show for some of our tours.   They are also regualrly sighted under the Bribie Bridge on the Bribie side, in the shadows where they tend to fish, particularly if they have a young one that they are teaching..   Magic!!

January 2011 - after the recent flood event in Brisbane and the surrounding areas we have not expected to see any dolphins HOWEVER they have proved us wrong with a couple of large pods sighted in the Passage over the last couple of weeks so fingers crossed the water is still healthy enough with fish/food source for these wonderful creatures and they will continue to visit us regularly even though Moreton Bay is so damaged and polluted.

August 2010 - starting to see a few more of these wonderfully fun marine animals.  Have spotted them swimming very close to shore 'fishing' - madly swimming around and schooling up fish to eat.   Saw a baby dolphin also which looked only a week or two old.  Magic.

June - August 2010 - We have had a few sightings of dolphins over the last few weeks so they are around.  In past years, they seem to be more prevalent from September on and become more playful - with some displays of mating/showing off done by the males.

April-June 2010:  We had a few weeks early in the year where we did not see many dolphins however they have started to show up again over the last few weeks and starting to school up the winter fish coming in to the passage.  We had one come into shore as we were boarding and it was about 4 metres off the beach right next to the boat......   we are so lucky!!

Dec-Jan 10:    These slippery little suckers (dolphins that is!!) have been few and far between over the holiday period so not sure if fish are scarce for them here in Pumicestone Passage, or they have a better food source elsewhere but they are not as abundant compared to other times of the year.  Never mind, the dugong sightings we have been having has made up for their lack of presence.

July 09:   Fish must be running as we are now seeing numerous pods of dolphins regularly and they are obviously fishing.  Much jumping out of the water and frollicking is being seen at the moment, and the days have been magnificent for spotting these wonderful mammals!!

May/June 09:   Well these guys are very unpredictable!!   They come into the Passage early in the mornings, generally on a rising tide - do their fishing - generally near the bridge - and then head out to sea!!  However, there is alot of fresh water in the passage at present, as well as poor visibility due to heavy recent rains, so maybe this is keeping them away for a  couple of weeks while this all settles down.  We are still seeing them regularly enough, however not for very long.   Once the Tailor season starts, and the winter fish breeds, we  may start to see some more come in to feed and play.

Dec-Jan 09  - Dolphins have been few and far between over the last month or so although a small pod of Indo Pacific dolphins have been spotted regularly fishing within the passage.

October 2008

Still seeing dolphin regularly with some young now being seen in the pods, and have been watching them teach their young to feed.

September 2008

Saw dolphins regularly on the cruises throughout September, with lots of play and romance going on between them. 

August 2008

Seeing lots of pods of dolphin regularly in the Passage with some young with the various pods.  They have been very friendly and do not hesitate to come under the front of the vessel to look up at us - what a treat!!

We are seeing dolphins almost daily and a couple of the regular pods have babies, so Sea World is not the only lucky one as we have baby dolphins too, who choose to swim in our wonderful Passage Marine Park regularly!

Nov 10- Oct 11 - we have regularly sighted turtles throughout the last 12 months but they are so quick it is VERY hard to confirm sightings.  They come up and as soon as they realise you're there, they've gone so absolutely no time for photos or even to tell someone else....   However, we are finding many turtle shells washed up, mainly around White Patch and they don't look like they are very old turtles.  One shell found yesterday looked to be only about 20-30 yrs old and had a great crack and hole across the top of its shell - looks like boat strike....  plus all the many deaths happening up around Gladstone and the Great Barrier Reef, we are grateful for whatever turtle activity we see here at Bribie.

September 2010 - when out yesterday we saw about 12 turtles throughout the 3 hour cruise with many of them being quite large with most looking like they were feeding which was great.  They are coming in to prepare for egg laying later in the year.  Weather was mirror calm so absolutely PERFECT for spotting them as they come up to breath.

August 2010 - have started seeing a couple of turtles around.  Saw a couple of large turtles mating in the Passage just north of Donnybrook near the yellow marker in the channel.  

June -Aug 2010 - nothing to report with these wonderful creatures - not really their time of year here.

Feb 2010-June 2010:   Turtle sightings have been more scarce than we would like, however we have had rain throughout the last six months which may turn these animals off coming into the Passage if there is too much fresh water coming through.  They are very quick too, so chances are, they come straight up for a breath, and then are gone.

Dec-Jan 10:  Have seen a few heads pop up during some of the cruises but they are so quick.   Again we have had a fatality wash up on the beach here - about an 80yr old green female again either parasites or floating sickness got her (her shell was in pristine condition so it was not boat strike), so she is no longer with us to continue her species.  Please remember to put ALL your rubbish in the bin no matter where you are.  It can end up in the water and kill our sea life, long after you have left this earth........  Please care....

July 09:   Had one of these magnificent girls pop her head up for a breath about 2 metres from us last week, up near Mission Point so they are now in the Passage checking feeding areas, and breeding beaches in readiness for the laying season coming up.  We also had a beautiful large female green turtle recently struck and killed instantly by a boat just off Sandstone Point.  So very, very sad to see such a magnificent and important animal gone in an instant!

May/June 09:  These guys have been fairly quiet over the last few months - maybe due to rain in the Passage - anyway, we are always on the lookout regardless.

Dec/Jan 09:  Turtles occasionally spotted, although brief - they are VERY quick.  Fantastic weather with alot of boat traffic have kept sightings to a minimum.

Sept/Oct 2008:  Not too many turtles have been sighted although have seen a couple of dead ones washed up recently which does not bode well for this summer season for the decline of our wonderful turtles.

August 2008:  This week while out on the boat had a lovely sighting of a good size turtle up near White Patch with it's head clearly out of the water and having a good look at us.  Then 'zoom' and 'splash' and it's gone.....

Recently a good size leather-back turtle was found washed up deceased on one of our beaches.  These are extremely endangered and are not often seen in these waters. 

We do not see too many turtles throughout our cruises unless it is oily calm and not much boat traffic on the water.   They are too quick - coming up for a breath and then gone for about 20 minutes before the next breath.

Unfortunately the main turtles we come into contact with are the ones that are sick, or dead from either 'floating sickness' or boat strike etc. 

Recently found a large (80+yrs) female green turtle washed up.  Looked to have had a crab pot and rope tangled around her throat and flipper.  Being unable to de-tangle herself, she has died from either drowning or starvation.

Also, a sub-adult washed up with no obvious injuries.  Possibly 'floating sickness' the culprit.  'Floating Sickness' is when they consume floating plastics, thinking it is food, and are unable to digest these items.  This then forms a gas in their stomachs and they end up floating on the surface unable to eat or dive.  Death is normally by starvation or boat strike.

OCT 2011 - Migratory birds now coming in.  Recently sighted by one of our local Star Birdwatchers, Trevor Ford were the following:   about 85 Australasian Darters which only 4 have ever been seen on Bribie in the past.  Buckley's Hole had 16 Australasian Darters - again the most seen there.    14 Nankeen Night Herons were spotted - all in one tree, 4 white necked Herons, a Latham's Snipe, 2 Comb-crested Jacanas, 9 Wandering Whistling Ducks.  5-10 individual Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets have often been seen next to each other affording great comparison opportunities.  Plenty of Shorebirds roosting at Kakadu Beach which has 28 Red Knots, with several in breeding plumage as are several of the 100+ Great Knots.  1500+ Bar-tailed Godwits with about 10 of these looking to be immature Godwits which is an early date for these young to be seen.  Full sighting and updates can be seen on http://www.sunbittern.com/  

SEPT 2011 - A nice general range of birds being regularly sighted.  Jabiru spotted this week and he was fishing (holding & gently flapping his wings out in the shallows and 'herding' fish into a spot where he can grab them with his beak) and Brolgas seen recently up at Lime Pocket.  Migratory birds now starting to be seen as well as juvenile white bellied sea eagles, osprey's nesting and brahminy kites in pairs.

APRIL 2011 - On our recent 6 hr Explorer Cruise to Lighthouse Reach (up near Caloundra) the following birds were sighted and the approximate number seen is in brackets ( ).  This cruise can only be done on a KING tide so there were no exposed feeding banks during this cruise  hence no opportunity to see the many migratory birds that come to this wonderful waterway.  Also, being April, many of the Migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere have already left to travel north.  This bird list was compiled by a very well-renowned local 'Birder' who was onboard with us for the day.

Birds sighted:   Bar tailed Godwit (160), Whimbrel (214), Eastern Curlew (108), Common Greenshank (24), Terek Sandpiper (1), Grey-tailed tattler (180), Australian Pied Oystercatcher (8), Black-winged stilt (7), Red-capped plover (1), Masked Lapwing (29), Pied Cormorant (10), Little Pied Cormorant (1), Australian Pelican (8) Black Swan (40), Wood Duck (8), White-faced Heron (30), Little Egret (4), Intermediate Egret (3), Eastern Great Egret (2), Striated Heron, (1), Australian White Ibis (12), Royal Spoonbill (4), Black-necked Stork / Jabiru (1), Eastern Osprey (8), Whistling Kite (17), Brahminy Kite (5), White-bellied Sea Eagle (8), Wedge-tailed Eagle (1), Brown Goshawk (2), Peregrine (1), Silver Gull (82), Caspian Tern (7), Crested Tern (4), Little Tern (6) PLUS another 20 or so bird species on land (passerines) including the Mangrove Honeyeaters and the Mangrove Gerygone and Collared Kingfisher were heard.   (Also sighted were some Eastern Grey Kangaroos and 100's of Black Flying Foxes.)

August 2010 - Starting to see the migratory birds coming back  - a bit earlier than normal.  Have seen our resident male jabiru up in the 'junkers' as well so he is around - hopefully getting ready to nest although we have not seen a mate around as yet.

June - Aug 2010:   We have a lone gannet currently residing in the Passage and the type is not of usual occurrance here but must be a bit of food for him to be hanging around.   Are seeing some lovely White Bellied Sea Eagles at present with a couple of juveniles of these now out looking for food over the Passage.

We have seen our Jabiru a couple of times only but because there are no really large trees close to the passge now, for them to nest in, sightings of them have become fewer in the last 12 months as their nesting tree was destroyed in some weather in  May 2009.  We assume they may be nesting elsewhere but we hope they are still nesting somewhere close.

Migratory birds will start to be seen from mid- to late September onwards for the summer here and they will head back North  in March/April next year.   If you are looking for birds specifically, please let us know as we would suggest a cruise that is cruising at half tide or lower so you can see the birds down on the exposed intertidal banks feeding during the cruise.

Jan-Jun 2010:  Although the migratory birds left at their usual time, we are still seeing a nice range of birds as well as quite a few raptors with some in pairs so they are starting to breed again ready for spring.

Nov - Jan 10:   Have seen a good array of birds throughout the holidays with some nice large flocks of the migratory birds.  Saw the beautiful jabiru flying along the Passage during one of our wedding charters - Magic!! 

July 09:   Seeing alot of Spoonbill flocks in the Passage feeding, plus quite a few Brahminy Kite pairs getting ready to breed and building nests.  The male Jabiru is also out and about, however have not seen the female in recent weeks - we'll be keeping an eye out, and once she is spotted, hopefully there will be chicks to follow!!

May/June 2009:  Throughout the last few months a good range of birds have been sighted even though the migratory birds have left for the northern hemisphere.  The jabiru were seen regulary and looked to be nesting for a second time this season, however.....

Due to the heavy rains we had in this area in late May, the iconic JABIRU NEST that could be clearly seen at Lime Pocket, was lost with half the tree it was in.  It looks that over time, the weight of the nest and the heavy rains finally took their toll.  WE are unsure at present as to what has happened to the chicks, and if we do find anything, we will be sure to post any updates.

We only hope that the adults will find another suitable tree to nest in, and fingers crossed it will be situated where we can still see them while nesting and feeding their young.

Nov/Dec 2008:  The general range of birds sighted, withthe local jabiru being seen regularly, although fantastic weather with lots of boat traffic have kept sightings to a minimum.   The list of other birds that have been sighted in one day by a bird watching group included:

B) – breeding

Australian Brush Turkey, Black Swan, Chestnut Teal, Brown Booby, Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Australian Pelican,  White-faced Heron, Little Egret, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Striated Heron, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Osprey, Whistling Kite, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Whimbrel, Eastern Curlew, Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Pied Oystercatcher, Black-winged Stilt, Red-capped Plover, Masked Lapwing, Silver Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Crested Tern, Crested Pigeon, Rainbow Lorikeet,  Pale-headed Rosella, Tawny Frogmouth (B), Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Dollarbird, White-throated Treecreeper, Variegated Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Mangrove Gerygone, Striped Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Mangrove Honeyeater, Brown  Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin, Eastern Whipbird, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Olive-backed Oriole, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Torresian Crow and Silvereye.

Aug/Sept/Oct 2008:  The local jabiru (black neck stork) parents have been teaching their baby to feed so we have seen them regularly out on the tidal banks.

Lots of birds of prey, and now seeing a good range of migratory birds if the tide is low when we cruise.

June/July 2008:  We recently sighted a flock of spoonbills feeding just north of Donnybrook plus heaps of Osprey, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Whistlers, and Brahminy Kites flying around.  A couple of these were ripping their fresh caught fish apart and feeding on the exposed sand banks as we cruised past.

The Jabiru/Black Necked stork pair are also nesting up at Lime Pocket with 1 adult always on the nest with the other out feeding.  Their chicks have hatched and we have watched them being fed.  Wow!

We also have spotted a pair of Brolgas recently which was a real treat.  They were not overly concerned with us and wandered the exposed banks as we cruised past.  Their beautiful red heads were clearly visible.