16, 19 & 20 Feb 2026
THE PETREL STATION 3 DAY TOUR REPORT
3 DAYS -> 110,000 SEABIRDS! -> 25 SPECIES
We just completed 3 awesome summer seabird tour days out at The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
Highlights of the tours were:
Swirling masses of Buller's Shearwater stretching right across the horizon (a mind-blowing spectacle)
A Wedge-tailed Shearwater (rare in NZ)
Impressive numbers of New Zealand Storm Petrel
A superpod of at least 300 Common Dolphins with huge numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters following them
Over the 3 days we recorded just short of 110,000 stunning seabirds, and 26 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions across the 3 days were fine weather, 10-20 knot winds and a 1.2-1.5 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 3 days:
Seabirds seen:
1 x NZ Wandering Albatross (ssp. Gibsons)
2 x White-capped Albatross
65 x Fairy Prion
496 x Cook's Petrel
15 x Pycroft's Petrel
3 x Black-winged Petrel
156 x Black Petrel
98,000 x Buller's Shearwater
214 x Fluttering Shearwater
2 x Little Shearwater
1 x Wedge-tailed Shearwater
3,400 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
6 x Short-tailed Shearwater
1 x Sooty Shearwater
35 x White-faced Storm Petrel
108 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
1 x Common Diving Petrel
2 x Little Blue Penguin
1 x Arctic Skua
111 x Grey Noddy
2 x White-fronted Tern
2,500 x Australasian Gannet
4,850 x Red-billed Gull
8 x Black-backed Gull
195 x Pied Shag
Other marine life encountered:
300+ x Common Dolphin
1 x Mako Shark
1 x Hammerhead Shark
6 x Flying Fish