NZ Storm Petrel, Southport pelagic trip, off Queensland coast

[Michael Szabo]

Paul Walbridge reports seeing a New Zealand Storm Petrel on a recent 3-day pelagic trip from Southport, QLD 5th-7th April 2025:

This was a three day at sea trip and as we set sail on the Friday evening, when conditions were moderate and as it turned out conditions were different each day, as were the birds. The wind dictated that we went north to the Queensland Guyot and with the conditions such as they were we found ourselves just short of the target the next morning. The next three days were spent drifting and re-positioning over the two peaks of the Queensland Guyot and what a revelation that was.

Over the years the skipper, Craig Newton, has plotted all the significant sightings, particularly with our interest with storm-petrels and a pattern has emerged. Whereas our main interest is naturally with the New Caledonian Storm-Petrel, in recent years northern hemisphere Hydrobates have put in a concerted appearance. This trip however proved to be the first trip anywhere when all four known Fregetta storm-petrels were recorded on the same trip, an amazing development. All up now eleven species of storm-petrel have been recorded on Southport and Seamounts, surely making the region unique. Also, yet another Collared Petrel was recorded, a pale one at that, further increasing the significance of this fascinating string of sea mounts, particularly in the northern part of the chain. As with the previous trip in March, the visits to these sea mounts reveal something new nearly every time.

Species:
Red-tailed Tropicbird – 2 (1)
White-tailed Tropicbird – 3 (1)
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel – 1
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel – 420 (100)
White-faced Storm-Petrel – 6 (2)
Black-bellied Storm-Petrel – 2 (1)
White-bellied Storm-Petrel – 11 (2)
New Caledonian Storm-Petrel – 19 (3)
New Zealand Storm-Petrel – 1 (subject to BARC submission)
Black Petrel – 6 (2)
Streaked Shearwater – 2
Wedge-tailed Shearwater – 2
Flesh-footed Shearwater – 12 (eight)
Short-tailed Shearwater – 1
Tahiti Petrel – 56 (10)
Grey-faced Petrel – 544 (120)
Kermadec Petrel – 21 (3)
Providence Petrel – 11 (3)
White-necked Petrel – 2 (1)
Gould’s Petrel – 1
Collared Petrel – 1 (subject to BARC submission)
Masked Booby – 1
Red-footed Booby – 2 (1)
Pomarine Jaeger – 2 (1)
Arctic Jaeger – 1
Common Noddy – 1
Black Noddy – 1
White Tern – 7 (2)
Grey Ternlet – 1
Sooty Tern – 19 (eight)

Link to trip report with photos on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1871928 ... 673761304/