2 Aug 2025
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
Had a great day out on the latest pelagic seabird tour to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
Highlights:
The big spring season Fairy Prion feeding workups have already started to build with a fine workup of 10,000 seabirds recorded on the day.
Big numbers of soaring Grey-faced Petrel and skitterish Common Diving Petrel
During the tour we recorded 16 different seabird species, and enjoyed watching just over 15,500 stunning seabirds in total! Conditions on the day were fine, with 15 knot winds throughout the day and a 2m swell. See below for the full list of seabirds recorded on the tour.
Our stunning spring season is less than 2 months away so if you’re interested in coming out on a pelagic seabird tour to The Petrel Station then check out the 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:
1 x Northern Royal Albatross
4 x Buller's Albatross
21 x White-capped Albatross
2 x Northern Giant Petrel
10,000 x Fairy Prion
148 x Grey-faced Petrel
156 x Fluttering Shearwater
12 x Little Shearwater
2,350 x Common Diving Petrel
1 x Little Blue Penguin
1,675 x Australasian Gannet
1,175 x Red-billed Gull
10 x Black-backed Gull
2 x Caspian Tern
31 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag
Other marine life included:
26 x NZ Fur Seal