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> As last year, a number of species are “in the wrong place” but have
> still seen an excellent range of seabirds with some serious surprises.
> Here is info on first few days:
> 20 April: Hauraki Gulf
> Far more albatrosses than first few trips plus an NZ mega, ie Great
> Shearwater, which was seen in the Hauraki Gulf. If you could ask Chris
G
> how many previous NZ records there are, we would be interested to
know
> please. Also had some nice looks at NZSP.
> Gibson’s
Wandering Albatross 4
> Campbell Albatross 3
> White-capped
Albatross 7
> Salvin’s Albatross 1
> Buller’s (presumed Pacific
based on photos and location) Albatross 3
> Grey-faced Petrel B
>
Cook’s Petrel 4
> Fairy Prion A
> Black Petrel low A
>
Flesh-footed Shearwater high A
> Buller’s Shearwater B
>
Fluttering Shearwater low A
> Little Shearwater 6
> Great
Shearwater 1 (position 35 37S 175 11E and well photographed)
>
Wilson’s Storm-petrel 4
> NZ Storm-petrel 4 birds seen together but
believed that at least 10 seen
> with all out at 200m contour (same area
as where we always have success).
> White-faced Storm-petrel 2
>
Common Diving-petrel B (lots more than usual)
> Grey Ternlet very low A
(ie 10+)
> 21 April NZ-> Norfolk Island Day 1
> Gibson’s 6
>
Campbell 8
> White-capped 1
> Grey-faced Petrel B
>
White-necked Petrel 3 (this species is being seen in lower numbers than
>
usual)
> Gould’s Petrel A (one person counted 44 but likely that many
of the
> unidentified distant pterodromas were also this species but
either way, the
> count is exceptional this far south with all birds in
NZ waters).
> Black-winged Petrel 4
> Black Petrel 4
>
Flesh-footed Shearwater 4
> Short-tailed Shearwater very low A
>
Wilson’s Storm-petrel 2
> White-faced Storm-petrel very low A
>
White-bellied Storm-petrel 3 (very high day count by WPO standards)
>
Grey Ternlet 1
> 22 April NZ-> Norfolk Island Day 2
> Gibson’s 4
>
Grey-faced Petrel low B
> Kermadec Petrel 3
> Gould’s Petrel 3
(surprisingly low number given large number the previous
> day).
>
Black-winged Petrel A (one person’s count was 51)
> Wedge-tailed
Shearwater high B
> Little Shearwater very low A (ie 10+)
>
Short-tailed Shearwater B (one count of 280)
> White-faced Storm-petrel
very low A
> Red-tailed Tropicbird 6
> Masked Booby A
>
Grey Ternlet A
> White Tern low A
> 23 April Norfolk Island
> Saw all the key landbirds and endemics
despite a horribly wet day. Alarming
> decline in parakeets but still
found this species.
> We sailed at about 3pm and had spectacular numbers
of Little Shearwaters
> plus two Providence Petrels a species we have
missed completely several
> times on recent voyages.
> Grey-faced
Petrel low A
> Providence Petrel 2
> White-necked Petrel 1
> Gould’s Petrel 1
> Black-winged Petrel A
> Wedge-tailed
Shearwater B
> Little Shearwater B (with one count being 187 birds –
massively more than
> usual).
> Red-tailed Tropicbird 7
>
Masked Booby A
> Brown Booby 1
> Great Frigatebird 2
>
Black Noddy high B
> Brown Noddy low A
> Grey Ternlet A
>
24 April Norfolk Island -> New Caledonia
> Tahiti Petrel A (one
count of 51)
> Grey-faced Petrel low A
> Kermadec Petrel 4
> White-necked Petrel 4
> Gould’s Petrel low A
> Collared
Petrel 8 (with at least six in Australian waters where this species
> is
still regarded as mega rarity)
> Black-winged Petrel 3
>
Wedge-tailed Shearwater low A
> White-faced SP 3
> Polynesian SP
1 (distant and not seen by all)
> Red-tailed Tropicbird 1
>
White-tailed Tropicbird 1
> 25 April Arrive New Caledonia
> 'New Cal Storm-Petrel'
>
We are pleased to say that we have once again seen the “New Caledonian
>
Storm-Petrel” off Noumea although unfortunately there are no better photos
> than in 2010. We watched the bird on and off over approximately 30
mins or
> so this morning on a chum/oil slick approximately 30nm south
from Noumea.
> On this occasion, the bird was seen flying in close
association with
> approximately a dozen Wilson’s Storm-petrels and as on
the two previous
> instances when we have seen it, it was judged to be
bigger than the WSPs.
> Given the views, we have nothing new to add about
the bird but the four of
> us who have seen it previously (ie Rodney
Russ, Steve Howell, Adam Walleyn
> and myself) consider it to be the same
taxon as we have seen previously.
> For more information, see the article
by SNGH and CPC in Birding World
Regards
John Brodie-Good
WildWings UK
For the very best selection of ocean voyages please visit
www.wildwings.co.uk
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