Trip Report
Tuesday 30 November 2004
Eight of us headed out into the Hauraki Gulf - 30kns W with some rather
fierce gusts. Fine overhead. Departed Sandspit at 1PM. Everyone was keen
to get out so it seemed worthwhile going out for a look...
Just as we were about to cast off a Reef Heron landed on top of a wharf
pile behind the boat, looked very much at home! Great start. Did a search
of Beehive Island on the way out to pick up Shore Plover (1), several
NZ Dotterels, Variable Oystercatcher (2 pairs with chicks), Caspian Tern
(2), White-faced Heron (1) and Black-backed Gulls. Also Yellowhammer and
House Sparrow.
Out beyond Kawau the conditions appeared to moderate slightly which encouraged
us to get out into the shipping channel towards Little Barrier. About
halfway across (as far as we went) we encountered thousands of Fluttering
Shearwaters, along with 100s of White-faced Stormies, some Gannets, Cook's
Petrels and Flesh-footed Shearwaters spread out across a kilometre - an
amazing sight. Birds wheeling back and forth in the wind, catching the
sunlight or sitting spread out across the surface. No whales or dolphins
as we'd expect but there must have been a rich mass of plankton and small
fish for such a gathering. Stopped to chum for over an hour, then headed
off to another spot further north between Cape Rodney and LBI. Again chumming
for more than an hour. Numbers of WF Storm Petrels was staggering, in
fact none of us had seen so many WFSPs with close to sixty around the
boat at one particular time, they just kept pouring upwind towards the
boat and working the slick line. Great to have Flesh-footed, Sooty and
Short-tailed Shearwaters side-by-side beside the boat for the Americans
on board to compare. Good views of Cook's across the back of the boat.
Headed back to Sandspit late afternoon, at the dock 7PM with the Reef
Heron flying from the sand bank to join us on the wharf.
Species seen at two chumming locations:
Fluttering Shearwater 1000s
Flesh-footed Shearwater 100+
Sooty Shearwater 5
Short-tailed Shearwater 1
Cook's Petrel 20+
Black Petrel 5+
White-faced Storm Petrel 100s
A Gannet 20+
Common Diving Petrel 20+
Black-backed Gull 5
White-fronted Tern 10+
Note: No NZ Storm Petrels were seen at either chumming spot despite
the presence of hundreds of WFSPs. The continued absence/presence of NZSPs
in areas of the Hauraki Gulf region (in varying conditions) is allowing
us to build a pattern of distribution for these birds, something we'll
continue to explore with forthcoming trips this summer including our Far
North trips off North Cape. Were we to find NZSPs off North Cape in December
would be interesting!
--Chris Gaskin
Pterodroma Pelagics - Hauraki Gulf Seabird Tours
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