Trip Report
HAURAKI GULF PELAGIC
21 December 2004
A brief report from yesterday's Hauraki Gulf pelagic. Nine of us left
Sandspit at 8.35AM with the plan to stop to chum/bird en route to the
Mokohinaus to pick up Chris. He was on Burgess Island - one of a party
of four, a Mike Imber-led DOC seabird trip to the Mokes. The NW'er steadily
increased through the morning to about 35kns inside Little Barrier making
the trip out very uncomfortable. Stopped to chum just north of LBI. Reached
Mokes around midday, utter relief, although the heavy rain kept everyone
on board (the plan had been to go ashore). After picking up C stooged
around the islands enjoyed being out of the wind and in flat water! Also
following a reef heron around some of the spectacular steep-walled coves
that are a feature of these islands. Chris was able to update us on some
the findings of their stay - ie Black-winged Petrels prospecting (with
the possibility of breeding) on Burgess, a major new colony of White-faced
Storm Petrels (again on Burgess) and so on. No NZSP breeding site, but
the results in terms of seabird colonisation following the kiore eradication
work undertaken by DoC in 1990 is fantastic to see. Leaving Burgess we
made a quick downwind slide to Maori Rocks and checked out the gannet
colony there (no Grey Ternlets), before heading north towards the Poor
Knights. The wind had shifted to SW and by this time started to drop,
which mercifully reduced the sea. When we got to our second chumming spot
the wind had eased to 10-15kns and the sky was clearing. After a couple
hours we headed back to Burgess in clear skies (almost another day!).
The whole group landed (great cure for those who'd been seasick earlier)
and went for a walk up through the old house sites to the ridge top/lighthouse.
On the way back stopped to chum south of Groper Island in the evening.
Wind back to NW and 5kns. Superb evening run back to Sandspit.
Birds seen:
White-capped Albatross
Salvin's Albatross
Black Petrel
Cook's Petrel
Black-winged Petrel
Pycroft's Petrel (possible id only - adding Black-winged Petrel to the
Hauraki Gulf list, and the variability amongst Cook's makes ID'ing this
species that much harder, and fun!)
Grey-faced Petrel
Buller's Shearwater
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Fluttering Shearwater
Little Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
White-faced Storm Petrel
NZ Storm Petrel
Blue Penguin
A Gannet
White-fronted Tern
Red-billed Gull
Black-backed Gull
Also, Reef Heron, Bellbird, Tui, Red-crowned Parakeet, NZ Pigeon,
Fantail, A Harrier, Welcome Swallow, Rock Pigeon, Yellowhammer, Starling,
Myna, House Sparrow on Burgess. Small flocks of Red-billed Gulls feeding
on taupata berries was a fascinating to see. Made sense of the reddish
patches filled with tomato-like seeds on the landing.
Karen Baird
Pterodroma Pelagics NZ
|
