25 May 2023
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT
Had another great out at The Petrel Station on the latest pelagic seabird tour offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand). Conditions on the day were fine, with a good steady 15 knot SE wind throughout the day and a 1.5m swell.
The highlights of the tour were:
1 Soft-plumaged Petrel
4 Antarctic Prion
3 Brown Skua
A staggering amount of 6,000+ Common Diving Petrels streaming past!
During the tour we saw 25 different seabird species, and enjoyed watching just over 7,500 stunning seabirds in total! See the full tour list below.
If you’re interested in coming out 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 NZ Wandering Albatross (Gibson's)
2 x Northern Royal Albatross
11 x Campbell Mollymawk
9 x White-capped Albatross
1,200 x Fairy Prion
4 x Antarctic Prion
1 x Soft-plumaged Petrel
2 x Cook's Petrel
6 x Black Petrel
42 x Grey-faced Petrel
1 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
1 x Buller's Shearwater
15 x Fluttering Shearwater
11 x Little Shearwater
4 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
1 x Wilson's Storm Petrel
6,000+ x Common Diving Petrel
4 x Little Blue Penguin
200 x Australasian Gannet
3 x Brown Skua
1 x Caspian Tern
18 x Red-bill Gull
1 x Black-backed Gull
38 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag
Other marine life included:
6 x NZ Fur Seals
1 x Flying Fish