Trip Report
HAURAKI GULF PELAGIC
Monday 10 January 2005
6 of us from Sandspit at 9.00AM. Light variable breezes only and some
cloud. Conditions were very calm throughout most of the day which made
chumming difficult. Most birds spotted were seen while steaming.
Seabirds seen:
Black Petrel - approx 6
Cook's Petrel - a few inshore from LBI more (10's) out from LBI to beyond
the Mokes.
Grey-faced Petrel - 10+ - particularly later on.
Buller's Shearwater - a large group 60+ inshore mixed with a few Flesh-footed
Shearwater and several WF Stormies; 100+
Fluttering Shearwater - 100s Flocks of Fluttering Shearwater (some with
significant wing moult) greeted us as we steamed out beyond Takitu Point
- some larger groups of 40-50 sitting on the water then many small groups.
Flesh-footed Shearwater - a few scattered amongst other groups
Short-tailed Shearwater 2
White-faced Storm Petrel seen well inside the gulf all the way out.100-200
seen
NZ Storm Petrel - 1 seen near a group of other seabirds consisting of
Cook's Petrel, Buller's and Flesh-footed Shearwaters
Common Diving Petrel 1
Blue Penguin 100's large numbers of Blue Penguins were evident during
the day well distributed around the gulf.
A Gannet - with the gannetry in full swing - very large juveniles
Grey Ternlets - 28-30 on Maori Rocks
White-fronted Tern
Red-billed Gull
Black-backed Gull
Pied Shag
LBI: Kaka, Red-crowned Parakeet, NZ Pigeon, Tui, Grey Warbler (h), Saddleback
(h), bellbird (h)
Also seen:
Bryde's Whale 2 - seen en route to LBI feeding with WF Stormies, Bullers
and Flesh-footed Shearwaters.
Common Dolphin in bow inside LBI
Bottle-nosed Dolphin in a group inside LBI - mating group
The water had plenty of plankton in it often making it look soup-like
and an occasional white plankton slick was seen. Water Temperature between
Takitu and LBI hovered around 19.7C.
At the Mokohinaus Karen went ashore with the Grey-faced Petrel juv that
she had been looking after. This bird seemed in good condition after being
rescued from drowning on the previous trip. Fed up on sardines in oil
and exercised each night (wing flapping and preening). We were reasonably
confident it would get a good second chance. It was placed ashore under
cover where burrows of GFP occurred.
Returning in the afternoon the water just seemed to get glassy, and dead
birds were easily spotted - we fished a few out - 2 Fluttering Shearwaters
(well dead) and one Blue Penguin (had two very large ticks on its throat
and several on its feet!).
Karen Baird
Pterodroma Pelagics NZ
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