11 Jan 2026
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
Another excellent day out on our latest pelagic seabird tour to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
In total we recorded just short of 40,000 stunning seabirds, and 22 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions on the day were fine, with 0-15 knot winds and a small swell.
Keen to join us for a unique seabird experience in 2026? ‘Summer’ tours are nearly all full, ‘Autumn’ tours and beyond have spaces available 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:
1 x White-capped Albatross
10,500 x Fairy Prion
122 x Cook's Petrel
5 x Pycroft's Petrel
9 x Black Petrel
25,000 x Buller's Shearwater
285 x Fluttering Shearwater
6 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
64 x Short-tailed Shearwater
2 x Sooty Shearwater
49 x White-faced Storm Petrel
8 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
5 x Common Diving Petrel
13 x Little Blue Penguin
2,225 x Australasian Gannet
15 x Grey Noddy
2 x White-fronted Tern
1,250 x Red-billed Gull
2 x Black-backed Gull
72 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag
Other marine life encountered:
1 x NZ Fur Seal
1 x Flying Fish