MEGA - ANTARCTIC PETREL, Birdlings Flat

[Ian Southey]

I hope someone does a proper beach patrol in the next few days. I'd be keen to know if there are any Fulmar Prions amongst others as the wind seems to have swept right through their area.

Also, please pick up those interesting corpses and offer them to the museum. I'm glad someone did eventually pick up that storm petrel, I can't identify it certainly from that picture - its interesting. These specimens would make a good record of an interesting event and there will be some valuable specimens that otherwise would not be available.

Ian

[Tim Barnard]

There have been some amazing posts on this site but this one is completely breathtaking. An absolutely stunning record.
Well done Fraser et al. Great work and a well deserved reward for getting out there...

[Paul Scofield]

Yes, keen to get this Stormie and any of the Antarctic birds that didn't sadly make it. We have several white-bellied black bellies from the NZ subs and just looking at this photo I can see several features that are more typical of a BBSP. Measurements will confirm and I will post a full report when Steve drops it off.

Paul Scofield Canterbury Museum

[FraserGurney]

I know there has been partial beach patrols done which have turned up sooty shearwater, white-headed petrel, antarctic fulmar and the pictured storm-petrel which I think might be a grey-backed - the rump was indistinct grey rather than white. Interestingly very few prions seen, maybe one or two, over the two days watching the site. But yes was a stunning couple of days.

[Paul Scofield]

No maybe about it has to be a grey back Just saw some photos from Steve - 100% grey backed..

[andrewcrossland]

Just seen some pics showing the storm petrel dried out and its very clearly a Grey-backed. Possibly the one reported flying back toward the beach from Lake Forsyth yesterday as the carcass was only found a short distance away.

I've already made a start writing up a Notornis paper on the event, starting with the Antarctic/Slender-billed prion and Soft-plumaged petrel on the CHCH coastline a few days ago, and then everything coming in with the storm.

So far, there is one new species for the Greater Christchurch - Antarctic Petrel. The Black-bellied Storm Petrels seen alive were not infact a new species for the area as Kieren Rowe had found one dead on a beach patrol a while ago and given to Canty Museum.
So the Greater CHCH list stands at 244 species (since first European settlement so there are some bone fide recorded extinct natives on the list).

For Kaitorete Spit/Lake Ellesmere, new additions are Antarctic Petrel, Grey-backed Storm Petrel, Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Soft-plumaged Petrel and white-headed Petrel. That's brings the site list up to 207 species (embarrassingly I discovered that Antarctic Fulmar was done twice on the previous checklist drawn up in April 2020, so the total from then dropped by one!).

Birds are also turning up inland including this one reported to DoC from a farm at Westerfield, well inland on the Canterbury plains near Ashburton:

albatross.jpg (97.23 KiB) Viewed 1302 times

[Paul Scofield]

That Grey-head must-be just out of the nest! Be a few folks wanting to see that released!

P

[Adam C]

Sorry to jump in here but it's just clicked. Yesterday as soon as I got down to the beach (before my bins salted up and became pretty useless) I got a really clear view of an all dark Albie (from above) with a white bum. Underneath all dark wing and pale belly. Click! It sailed past out the back, reasonably distant but again it was when my binos were clear so had a good view. I just couldn't place it but there's nothing else it could really of been?

[andrewcrossland]

Anita Spencer from chch (Mahaanui) DoC just txt me to advise that a Sooty Albatross has been picked up from a paddock at Cooptown. I assume it’s probably a light mantled sooty but will know when Anita checks it. Cooptown is up the valley from lake Forsyth at the start of the hill over to Akaroa. So it flew a long way up the lake - must have been an amazing sight!! Interestingly , a grey ternlet was found in that area after the Wahine
storm and seabirds, incl albatrosses turn up in the area reasonably frequently.

[FraserGurney]

Any chance of attending either of these albatross releases Andrew? Can you pass on any contact details? Cheers!