The Petrel Station Seabird Trip Report (10 July 2022), Tutukaka, NZ : Providence Petrel & 2 Antarctic Prions

[ourspot]

Had another great day out at The Petrel Station yesterday (10 July 2002) on the latest pelagic seabird trip offshore from Tutukaka (in northern New Zealand).

The highlight of the day was a PROVIDENCE PETREL which came in close for a quick visit with great views. This is a new species for The Petrel Station pelagic seabird trips and we've now recorded 46 different tube-nose seabird species, and 63 seabird species in total!

Other highlights of the trip were:
– 2 Antarctic Prions
– 9 NZSP (most ever for a winter trip)
– 2000+ Diving Petrels

During the trip we saw 22 different seabird species, and over 2,300 seabirds in total. See the full trip list below.

You can see some images from the day, and past trip reports, at: www.thepetrelstation.nz/trip-reports

If you’re interested in coming out on a pelagic seabird trip to The Petrel Station then check out the upcoming trip dates on our website and get in touch – it’s always a great day out. Find out more at: www.thepetrelstation.nz

Cheers
Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tour
Tutukaka, New Zealand

P : 021 322 324
E : seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz
Facebook : www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
Instagram : www.instagram.com/thepetrelstation

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Here’s the full trip results:
3 x Buller's Mollymawk
3 x White-capped Mollymawk
2 x Black-browed Mollymawk
2 x Campbell Mollymawk
1 x Northern Giant Petrel
80 x Fairy Prion
2 x Antarctic Prion
1 x PROVIDENCE PETREL
50 x Grey-faced Petrel
1 x Cape Petrel
5 x Cook's Petrel
7 x Fluttering Shearwater
30 x Little Shearwater
9 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
2000 x Common Diving-Petrel
100 x Australasian Gannet
1 x Little Blue Penguin
1 x White-fronted Tern
35 x Red-billed Gull
7 x Black-backed Gull
42 x Pied Shag
1 x Little Black Shag

[Tim Barnard]

Great work Scott, 46 Tubeys is a fantastic return. Very impressive - the Petrel Station is well and truly on the global pelagic map. Just thinking on what you need to get to 50.
Cheers
Tim

[Michael Szabo]

How about Gould's Petrel, Collared Petrel, White-bellied Storm Petrel, and Tahiti Petrel?

[Oscar Thomas]

Also Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (regular back in 80s) Grey-headed Albatross (seen on Hauraki Gulf Pelagic >40km away), Antarctic Fulmar, Kerguelen Petrel (if Blue Petrel is possible), Stejneger's Petrel, Great-winged Petrel, Westland Petrel (gotta pick it amongst the Blacks), Great Shearwater (local record in 2011), Salvin's prion (would be 5th prion for Petrel station), and anything else that might tip down from the tropics!

[Michael Szabo]

Yes, good list Oscar - outside of the tubenoses I'm also thinking that boobies, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, and White Tern could be on the cards - so always worth checking the gannets in case there's a booby hiding among them!

[ourspot]

Thats a great summary of potential birds Oscar and Michael :) Some more expected than others but that's the beauty of seabirds, if conditions are right any of those could turn up (like we had with Blue Petrel and Pink-footed Shearwater). Hopefully overtime we'll get to add some of these to the growing list of Petrel Station sightings..

For me its just as exciting seeing the seasonal patterns emerging, including some of the scarcer seabird sightings for the area potentially being annual visitors rather than just one offs, such as Chatham Albatross showing up almost to the day for last 2 season, and same with South Polar Skuas (light and dark morphs).

For reference here's the latest list of all the seabird species seen on The Petrel Station trips to date from the 35 trips that have gone out since they started in 2017:
– Royal Albatross (Northern)
– Wandering Albatross (Snowy / Exulans)
– NZ Wandering Albatross (Antipodean / Gibson's)
– White-capped Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Salvin's Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Black-browed Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Campbell's Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Chatham Island Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Buller's Albatross (Mollymawk)
– Light-mantled Sooty Albatross
– Northern Giant Petrel
– Southern Giant Petrel
– Fairy Prion
– Antarctic Prion
– Broad-billed Prion
– Thin-billed Prion
– Blue Petrel
– Cook's Petrel
– Pycrofts Petrel
– Black Petrel
– White-chinned Petrel
– Grey-faced Petrel
– Providence Petrel
– Kermadec Petrel
– White-headed Petrel
– Soft-Plumaged Petrel
– Mottled Petrel
– Grey Petrel
– Black-winged Petrel
– White-naped Petrel
– Cape Petrel
– Buller's Shearwater
– Fluttering Shearwater
– Hutton's Shearwater
– Flesh-footed Shearwater
– Pink-footed Shearwater
– Sooty Shearwater
– Short-tailed Shearwater
– Wedge-tailed Shearwater
– Little Shearwater
– White-faced Storm Petrel
– New Zealand Storm Petrel
– Black-bellied Storm Petrel
– Wilson's Storm Petrel
– Grey-backed Storm Petrel
– Common Diving Petrel
– Little Penguin
– Australasian Gannet
– South Polar Skua
– Brown Skua
– Arctic Skua
– Pomarine Skua
– Long-tailed Skua
– Red-billed Gull
– Black Backed Gull
– Grey Noddy
– Arctic Tern
– White-fronted Tern
– Caspian Tern
– Pied Shag
– Black Shag
– Little Pied Shag
– Little Black Shag

Cheers Scott
Tutukaka ‘Petrel Station’ Pelagics organiser

P : 021 322 324 ••• E : seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thepetrelstation