08 Jan 2026
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
Awesome day out on the first seabird tour for 2026 to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
Highlights of the tour were:
Flocks of 60+ Cook's Petrel swirling round the boat for a couple of hours
Approx 80 Short-tailed Shearwater
Our most birds ever recorded on a summer tour
In total we recorded just short of 82,500 stunning seabirds, and 21 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions on the day were fine, with 12-15 knot winds and a 1.2m swell.
Keen to join us for a unique seabird experience in 2026? Our ‘Summer’ tours are filling up fast 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:
2 x White-capped Albatross
47,500 x Fairy Prion
217 x Cook's Petrel
3 x Pycroft's Petrel
21 x Black Petrel
31,000 x Buller's Shearwater
670 x Fluttering Shearwater
9 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
78 x Short-tailed Shearwater
1 x Sooty Shearwater
28 x White-faced Storm Petrel
30 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
2 x Wilson's Storm Petrel
6 x Common Diving Petrel
1 x Little Blue Penguin
8 x Grey Noddy
1,850 x Australasian Gannet
925 x Red-billed Gull
1 x Black-backed Gull
73 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag
Other marine life encountered:
1 x Mako Shark
1 x Yellowfin Tuna
2 x Flying Fish
2 x NZ Fur Seal