We've scheduled a whopping 31 seabird tours for the spring 2025 season (September to December) which is the most we've ever run! You can check out the upcoming tours dates on our website.
www.thepetrelstation.nz
The Petrel Station is at its grandest during 'Spring' and it’s an outstanding time to come out to experience a wide diversity of New Zealand's stunning seabirds, and the huge seabird feeding workups of Fairy Prion and Buller's Shearwater that The Petrel Station seabird tours are famous for. In spring all the local breeding seabirds will be returning for the spring/summer breeding season (some in huge numbers), the albatross species are still around, it’s prime migration time for seabirds heading through on the way to their southern ocean breeding grounds, and we've also had plenty of other scarcer species put in an appearance at this time of year too (ie Chatham Albatross, Stejneger’s Petrel, Streaked Shearwater...). You can check out the 'Seabirds', 'Seasons' and 'Trip reports' sections of The Petrel Station website to see the impressive range of seabird species that have been recorded during this season.
For the 2025 season we've got plenty of double headers and triple headers running where we head out each morning for 2 or 3 days in a row, and with each day tending to be different based on what the conditions are doing it always makes it exciting to see what turns up.
We also still have a very small amount of spaces available for the Spring 2024 tours which are currently underway (with some outstanding spring tours so far this season) if you don't want to wait until next year :).
So if you're wanting to come out with us for some spring season seabird action then check out the upcoming tours dates on our website and get in touch soon to avoid missing out. It’s always a great day out, and the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world :)
The tours are based offshore from Tutukaka, in Northland, New Zealand.
Cheers Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station seabird tours and research - Tutukaka, New Zealand
021 322 324 -- www.thepetrelstation.nz -- seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz -- www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
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ourspot
- Posts: 384
- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:24 pm
- Location: Tutukaka Coast
Re: SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
SPRING IS COMING ... and so are thousands of seabirds!!
ONLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL THE PETREL STATION 'SPRING' SEABIRD TOURS BEGIN! ... and they're already filling up!
Spring is The Petrel Station at its grandest – a spectacular time to experience a wide diversity of New Zealand's stunning seabirds, and the massive seabird feeding workups of Fairy Prion and Buller's Shearwater that The Petrel Station is famous for.
This is our biggest spring season yet, with 31 tours running between 21 Sep and 15 Dec 2025 – and nearly 50% of spots are already booked! With our growing international reputation more people than ever are flocking in from around the world to experience the seabird spectacle that is spring :)
Spring brings the return of all the local breeding seabird species (some in huge numbers), albatross species are still around, it’s prime migration time for seabirds heading to their southern ocean breeding grounds, and we've had plenty of scarcer species put in an appearance too (ie Chatham Albatross, Stejneger’s Petrel, Streaked Shearwater, South Polar Skua ...). To get an idea of which seabird species you might encounter in spring check out the 'Seasons', Species', and past 'Tour Reports' pages on our website.
Keen to join us for some unforgettable spring seabird action? Check out the upcoming tours dates on our website and get in touch soon to avoid missing out.
www.thepetrelstation.nz
It's always a great day out at The Petrel Station – but spring really is something else! - Let the countdown begin :)
Tours depart from Tutukaka, Northland, New Zealand.
Cheers Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station seabird tours and research - Tutukaka, New Zealand
021 322 324 • seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz • www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
ONLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL THE PETREL STATION 'SPRING' SEABIRD TOURS BEGIN! ... and they're already filling up!
Spring is The Petrel Station at its grandest – a spectacular time to experience a wide diversity of New Zealand's stunning seabirds, and the massive seabird feeding workups of Fairy Prion and Buller's Shearwater that The Petrel Station is famous for.
This is our biggest spring season yet, with 31 tours running between 21 Sep and 15 Dec 2025 – and nearly 50% of spots are already booked! With our growing international reputation more people than ever are flocking in from around the world to experience the seabird spectacle that is spring :)
Spring brings the return of all the local breeding seabird species (some in huge numbers), albatross species are still around, it’s prime migration time for seabirds heading to their southern ocean breeding grounds, and we've had plenty of scarcer species put in an appearance too (ie Chatham Albatross, Stejneger’s Petrel, Streaked Shearwater, South Polar Skua ...). To get an idea of which seabird species you might encounter in spring check out the 'Seasons', Species', and past 'Tour Reports' pages on our website.
Keen to join us for some unforgettable spring seabird action? Check out the upcoming tours dates on our website and get in touch soon to avoid missing out.
www.thepetrelstation.nz
It's always a great day out at The Petrel Station – but spring really is something else! - Let the countdown begin :)
Tours depart from Tutukaka, Northland, New Zealand.
Cheers Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station seabird tours and research - Tutukaka, New Zealand
021 322 324 • seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz • www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
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ourspot
- Posts: 384
- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:24 pm
- Location: Tutukaka Coast
Re: SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
SPRING IS HERE :)
Today is officially the first day of spring in NZ ... and it's NOW ONLY 3 WEEKS until the spectacle that is The Petrel Station 'Spring Season' seabird tours begin with all the spring breeding species returning to our area, and once again we get to encounter massive feeding workups of Fairy Prion, Buller's Shearwater and more - We're so excited!!
The huge seabird workups are a unique specialty of our seabird tours and not found easily anywhere in the world, and are an incredibly memorable experience. It's not uncommon for huge flocks of 30,000–50,000+ seabirds to be right by the boat, and sometimes we have ridiculous numbers of seabirds surrounding us at once, with over 100,000 seabirds recorded on several occasions! It's an incredible, up close sensory experience of sight, sound and smell – and just one of the great highlights of The Petrel Station spring season.
Aside from all the breeding seabird species returning and the feeding workups, spring is a great time for a wide variety of albatross species, the New Zealand Storm Petrels are usually around in big numbers, and it's also prime migration time for seabirds heading back through on the way to their southern ocean breeding areas and we've had plenty of scarcer seabird species put in an appearance at this time of year.
On our website we have lots of past 'Tour Reports' to give you an idea of what we've encountered during spring ( www.thepetrelstation.nz/trip-reports ), and also check out the impressive 'Tour Reviews' we've received from past guests on the tours (www.thepetrelstation.nz/reviews).
Keen to join us for some unforgettable spring seabird action? We've got lots of seabird tours scheduled for this spring and they are filling up well so check out the upcoming tours dates on our website and get in touch to avoid missing out.
www.thepetrelstation.nz
It’s always a great day out, and the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world 🙂.
The tours are based offshore from Tutukaka, in Northland, New Zealand.
Cheers Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station seabird tours and research - Tutukaka, New Zealand
021 322 324 -- seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz -- www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
Today is officially the first day of spring in NZ ... and it's NOW ONLY 3 WEEKS until the spectacle that is The Petrel Station 'Spring Season' seabird tours begin with all the spring breeding species returning to our area, and once again we get to encounter massive feeding workups of Fairy Prion, Buller's Shearwater and more - We're so excited!!
The huge seabird workups are a unique specialty of our seabird tours and not found easily anywhere in the world, and are an incredibly memorable experience. It's not uncommon for huge flocks of 30,000–50,000+ seabirds to be right by the boat, and sometimes we have ridiculous numbers of seabirds surrounding us at once, with over 100,000 seabirds recorded on several occasions! It's an incredible, up close sensory experience of sight, sound and smell – and just one of the great highlights of The Petrel Station spring season.
Aside from all the breeding seabird species returning and the feeding workups, spring is a great time for a wide variety of albatross species, the New Zealand Storm Petrels are usually around in big numbers, and it's also prime migration time for seabirds heading back through on the way to their southern ocean breeding areas and we've had plenty of scarcer seabird species put in an appearance at this time of year.
On our website we have lots of past 'Tour Reports' to give you an idea of what we've encountered during spring ( www.thepetrelstation.nz/trip-reports ), and also check out the impressive 'Tour Reviews' we've received from past guests on the tours (www.thepetrelstation.nz/reviews).
Keen to join us for some unforgettable spring seabird action? We've got lots of seabird tours scheduled for this spring and they are filling up well so check out the upcoming tours dates on our website and get in touch to avoid missing out.
www.thepetrelstation.nz
It’s always a great day out, and the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world 🙂.
The tours are based offshore from Tutukaka, in Northland, New Zealand.
Cheers Scott Brooks
The Petrel Station seabird tours and research - Tutukaka, New Zealand
021 322 324 -- seabirds@thepetrelstation.nz -- www.facebook.com/thepetrelstation
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ourspot
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- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:24 pm
- Location: Tutukaka Coast
Re: SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
BE PART OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BIRDING EVENT with The Petrel Station Seabird Tours
Global Big Day is on 11 October 2025 and birders worldwide will be out recording bird species in a 24-hour global snapshot — and out at The Petrel Station we’ll likely add some species not found anywhere else (inc our specialty NZ Storm Petrel). This special tour coincides with our stunning spring season with breeding seabirds returning, big seabird feeding workups, majestic albatross species, and the chance of scarce vagrants passing through too.
Spaces are limited, so book now and enjoy an unforgettable day with some stunning seabirds – it's always a great day out 😁
www.thepetrelstation.nz
The tours are based offshore from Tutukaka, in Northland, New Zealand.
Global Big Day is on 11 October 2025 and birders worldwide will be out recording bird species in a 24-hour global snapshot — and out at The Petrel Station we’ll likely add some species not found anywhere else (inc our specialty NZ Storm Petrel). This special tour coincides with our stunning spring season with breeding seabirds returning, big seabird feeding workups, majestic albatross species, and the chance of scarce vagrants passing through too.
Spaces are limited, so book now and enjoy an unforgettable day with some stunning seabirds – it's always a great day out 😁
www.thepetrelstation.nz
The tours are based offshore from Tutukaka, in Northland, New Zealand.
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ourspot
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Re: SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT (11.10.25)
180,000+ SEABIRDS!!
Mindblowing day out on the latest seabird tour to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
The day kicked off in fantastic style as we headed out for the day and came across a constant stream of thousands and thousands of Fluttering Shearwaters ... so we followed along and ended up at a massive feeding workup of approx 130,000 seabirds!! The sight, the sound and the smell of so many seabirds is an extraordinary experience that simply can't be captured in photos or video. At times we were completely surrounded by seabirds (mostly Fluttering Shearwaters, Buller's Shearwaters and Fairy Prions) that are either busily chomping down on the abundant zooplankton that is present in our area, or soaring in all directions around the boat. It really is a spectacle of nature 😁
After an hour we finally prised ourselves away from the workup spectacle and headed out to deeper waters for several exciting hours with a wide range of stunning seabird species, and then in the afternoon on our return we encountered another massive workup of some 40,000 Fairy Prions!
In total we recorded 23 seabird species, and just over 180,000 stunning seabirds! A truly outstanding day out on the ocean 🙂.
Check out our website for the full tour species list, and a bunch of photos from the day : www.thepetrelstation.nz/trip-reports/11-10-2025
Keen to join us for a unique seabird encounter? Check out our upcoming tour dates and get in touch – the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world. It’s always a great day out!
www.thepetrelstation.nz
180,000+ SEABIRDS!!
Mindblowing day out on the latest seabird tour to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
The day kicked off in fantastic style as we headed out for the day and came across a constant stream of thousands and thousands of Fluttering Shearwaters ... so we followed along and ended up at a massive feeding workup of approx 130,000 seabirds!! The sight, the sound and the smell of so many seabirds is an extraordinary experience that simply can't be captured in photos or video. At times we were completely surrounded by seabirds (mostly Fluttering Shearwaters, Buller's Shearwaters and Fairy Prions) that are either busily chomping down on the abundant zooplankton that is present in our area, or soaring in all directions around the boat. It really is a spectacle of nature 😁
After an hour we finally prised ourselves away from the workup spectacle and headed out to deeper waters for several exciting hours with a wide range of stunning seabird species, and then in the afternoon on our return we encountered another massive workup of some 40,000 Fairy Prions!
In total we recorded 23 seabird species, and just over 180,000 stunning seabirds! A truly outstanding day out on the ocean 🙂.
Check out our website for the full tour species list, and a bunch of photos from the day : www.thepetrelstation.nz/trip-reports/11-10-2025
Keen to join us for a unique seabird encounter? Check out our upcoming tour dates and get in touch – the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world. It’s always a great day out!
www.thepetrelstation.nz
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ourspot
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- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:24 pm
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Re: SPRING 2025 (Sep to Dec) : The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours, Tutukaka, New Zealand
SOME SPACES HAVE OPENED UP on the 26 Oct and 1 Nov 2025 seabird tours!
It’s prime seabird season with huge feeding workups happening, local breeding species, migration starting, and the chance for scarce vagrants – it's always a great day out 😁
These tour dates are coming up fast and spaces are limited. Book now on our website:
www.thepetrelstation.nz
It’s prime seabird season with huge feeding workups happening, local breeding species, migration starting, and the chance for scarce vagrants – it's always a great day out 😁
These tour dates are coming up fast and spaces are limited. Book now on our website:
www.thepetrelstation.nz