THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
138,500 SEABIRDS --> 22 SPECIES
We had an unbelievable day out on the ocean yesterday when we recorded a staggering 138,500 seabirds on The Petrel Station seabird tours, offshore from Tutukaka, New Zealand!
This included several huge Fairy Prion feeding workups, as well some extraordinary numbers of thousands and thousands of seabirds streaming through our area - a remarkable sight to watch. We also recorded are highest ever number of Common Diving Petrels with around 17,500 recorded through the day!
To top things off we encountered over 10 Whales during the day, of 3 different species (Blue, Humpback and Bryde's Whale). The 2 Blue Whales was an amazing sight and something everyone onboard will never forget!
Unbelievable day offshore!
Keen to join us for a unique seabird experience? Check out our upcoming tour dates and get in touch – It’s always a great day out 😁.
Here’s the full tour results from the day:
Seabirds seen:
22 x White-capped Albatross
76,000 x Fairy Prion
3 x Northern Giant Petrel
29 x Cook's Petrel
1 x Black Petrel
1 x White-chinned Petrel
16,500 x Buller's Shearwater
25,500 x Fluttering Shearwater
22 x Little Shearwater
320 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
14 x Sooty Shearwater
54 x White-faced Storm Petrel
1 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
1 x Wilson's Storm Petrel
17,500 x Common Diving Petrel
3 x Little Blue Penguin
2100 x Australasian Gannet
2 x Little Blue Penguin
410 x Red-billed Gull
2 x Black-backed Gull
60 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag
Learn more about the seabird species seen on this tour:
Albatross • Petrels • Shearwaters • Storm Petrels • Prions • Skuas • Other Seabirds
Other marine life encountered:
2 x Blue Whale
2 x Humpback Whale
6 x Bryde's Whale
1 x Sunfish
5 x NZ Fur Seal
Some tiny bioluminescent creatures out deep