13 Oct 2022
THE PETREL STATION TRIP REPORT
Had an epic spring day out at The Petrel Station on our latest pelagic seabird trip out of Tutukaka (in northern New Zealand). With steady 10 knot winds and a 2 to 2.5 metre swell it was fantastic conditions for seabirds.
The highlight of the day was a STEJNEGER’S PETREL which flew past for a very brief visit - this is only the 14th sighting of this species in NZ ever! The Stejneger’s Petrel is a new species for The Petrel Station trips, and we've now recorded 47 different tube-nose seabird species, and 64 seabird species in total!
Other great highlights of the trip were:
over 30,000 Fairy Prions in a massive swirling feeding frenzy
6 species of Albatross
a pod of huge whales (either Sei or Brydes) which appeared near the boat - on the way back in we saw one a whale surfing a big swell like a dolphin would!
During the trip we saw 28 different seabird species, and well over 34,000 seabirds in total. The full seabird species list is below.
If you’re interested in coming out to The Petrel Station then check out the upcoming trip dates and get in touch – it’s always a great day out.
Here’s the full trip results from the day:
Seabirds seen:
3 x New Zealand Wandering Albatross (2 Gibson, 1 Antipodes)
4 x Buller's Albatross
8 x White-capped Albatross
4 x Salvin’s Albatross
2 x Black-browed Albatross
1 x Campbell Albatross
2 x Northern Giant Petrel
30,000+ x Fairy Prion
60 x Cook's Petrel
1 x STEJNEGER’S PETREL
8 x Grey-faced Petrel
1 x White-chinned Petrel
4 x Black Petrel
1 x Cape Petrel
1,500 x Buller’s Shearwater
200 x Fluttering
100 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
7 x Sooty Shearwater
2 x Short-tailed Shearwater
35 x Little Shearwater
32 x White-faced Storm-Petrel
9 x New Zealand Storm-Petrel
1 x Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
1,200 x Common Diving Petrel
850 x Australasian Gannet
7 x Black-backed Gull
120 x Red-billed Gull
53 x Pied Shag
Other marine life included:
Approx 5 big whales (either Brydes or Sei)
A bunch of NZ Fur Seals
A Mako shark