31 Jan 2022
THE PETREL STATION TRIP REPORT
Had a great day out at 'The Petrel Station' on our latest pelagic seabird trip out of Tutukaka (in northern New Zealand). We had solid 20 knot winds all day and some decent swell ... which had the birds swirling around close to the boat and putting on a fantastic display.
The highlights of the trip were:
1 Kermadec Petrel (a new seabird species for The Petrel Station trips)
At least 4 Black-winged Petrels
A staggering 80+ New Zealand Storm Petrels off the back of the boat at once! (the highest count we've had to date).
During the trip we saw 18 different seabird species, and over 4,500 seabirds in total. The full seabird species list is below. The 'Petrel Station' trips has now recorded 45 different tube-nose seabird species, and 62 seabird species in total!
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:
1 x White-capped Albatross (Mollymawk)
1 x Fairy Prion
60 x Cook's Petrel
1 x Pycroft's Petrel
4 x Black-winged petrel
1 x Kermadec Petrel
50 x Black Petrel
30 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
3,000 x Buller's Shearwater
100 x Fluttering Shearwater
80(+) x New Zealand Storm-Petrel
1 x White-faced Storm-Petrel
30 x Grey (Noddy) Ternlet
750 x Australasian Gannet
200 x Red-billed Gull
3 x Black-backed Gull
43 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Pied Shag