9 May 2026
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
Awesome day out on the recent Global Big Day pelagic seabird tour to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
Highlights of the tour were:
A Brown Skua that briefly visited
Our highest autumn count of Fairy Prions.
In total we recorded 5,600 stunning seabirds, and 20 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions on the day were mostly fine, with 10-15 knot winds and a 2-2.5m swell.
Keen to join us for a unique seabird experience in 2026? We’re now into our autumn and winter seasons when all the Albatross species and Southern Ocean seabirds return to our area, and our local winter breeders build up in numbers too. So check out our upcoming seabird tour dates and get in touch – It’s always a great day out 😁.
Here’s the full tour results from the day:
Seabirds seen:
19 x White-capped Albatross
1 x Brown Skua
4,000 x Fairy Prion
215 x Grey-faced Petrel
60 x Black Petrel
42 x Buller's Shearwater
62 x Fluttering Shearwater
23 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
1 x White-faced Storm Petrel
25 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
7 x Wilson's Storm Petrel
900 x Common Diving Petrel
14 x Little Blue Penguin
18 x Grey Noddy
3 x White-fronted Tern
115 x Australasian Gannet
42 x Red-billed Gull
4 x Black-backed Gull
48 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Shag
Learn more about the seabird species seen on this tour:
Albatross • Petrels • Shearwaters • Storm Petrels • Prions • Skuas • Other Seabirds
Other marine life encountered:
1 x Blue Shark
6 x NZ Fur Seal