Trip Report
Hauraki Gulf Seabirds
6 April 2007
Ten of us departed Sandspit, 0840hrs, 2kns SW and 10% cloud cover; a fine calm day and the usual cosmopolitan mix aboard to enjoy the day. Blue Penguins and one Buller’s Shearwater in Kawau Bay, then more Buller’s (plus Flesh-footed Shearwater and Australasian Gannets) on the way north past Little Barrier but overall pretty quiet. Plenty of gannets sitting on the water, especially one large loose group. Past NW Reef started picking up Diving Petrels, then more until just SW of Groper Rock (Mokohinaus) we hit a mother lode of these cute wee birds. They were everywhere. We stopped to chum when a black and white storm petrel was seen (I think Wilson’s Storm Petrel given the description of its flight from Frank who saw it) and got our first Black Petrel and Fairy Prion for the day. The Diving Petrels continued to fly hither and yon, as far as the eye could see.
After our experience in March (pretty quiet out through the Gulf until out pastthe Mokohinaus) we continued to push on and headed NE of Groper. Spied a mollymawk fairly distantly and although we tried to get closer it wasn’t seen well and remains unidentified – a lot of discussion though. An Australasian Harrier flew by, this was further out, heading (from out at sea!) towards the Mokohinaus. This reminded our skipper Dave that he’d seen a flock of Kaka flying from Great Barrier Island towards the mainland at Horn Rock (SE of LBI) a few days earlier.
At 12nms from the Mokes we stopped to set up for a lengthy chum session in very light conditions, easy sea with only a 0.5m NE swell coming through (1200hrs). We’d seen very little coming out but were hopeful with the wind direction we’d be drawing birds from an area out towards the shelf edge and slope. In just under 3hrs we saw the following: good numbers of Grey-faced Petrel; Cook’s Petrel (1); one Cookilaria sp. that looked interesting but it kept its distance; Black Petrel (10+); the occasional Buller’s and Flesh-footed Shearwaters; Fairy Prion (3); Wilson’s Storm Petrel (2+); NZ Storm Petrel (the first after 40mins, six seen on the slick at the same time, 10-20); Red-billed Gull; Gibson’s Albatross (very white across the wings), a very large bird which at one stage was sitting on the water with 3 or 4 NZSPs whizzing about it (an extreme juxtaposition of tubenose sizes); and one Welcome Swallow doing its best to look like a NZSP! Also seen, the fin of what looked like a hammerhead shark.
At 1450hrs started heading back, with the wind up to 10kns. Aside from a work up of gannets not much to report back to the Mokohinaus and a stop at Maori Rocks. 100+ Grey Ternlets (Blue-grey Noddies); adult gannets only on the main two stacks: a couple of Pied Shags and a big flock of Red-billed Gulls some of which were feeding around a school of trevally. Just south of Simpson’s Rock another black and white stormy was seen, amongst good numbers of Diving Petrels. Stopped to try and entice it in so we could ID it properly, but the only return was a Fairy Prion. At Little Barrier we drifted a while, enjoyed some chocolate cake while watching a Blue Penguin off the bow and our only really good view of a Fluttering Shearwater during the whole day. Passing LBI and heading back across the Shipping Channel had a few Cook’s Petrels flicking across the wake. Close to Takatu Point more Buller’s and Fluttering Shearwaters but these were really silhouettes in the dusk light. We were back at Sandspit 1826hrs and ready for the pub! Overall, a fairly quiet day, but fascinating all the same.
Seabirds seen:
Gibson’s Albatross
Unidentified mollymawk
Black (Parkinson’s) Petrel
Cook’s Petrel
Cookilaria sp.
Grey-faced Petrel
Buller’s Shearwater
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Fluttering Shearwater
Fairy Prion
Common Diving Petrel
NZ Storm Petrel
Wilson’s Storm Petrel
Australasian Gannet
Pied Shag
Black-backed Gull
Red-billed Gull
White-fronted Tern
Grey Ternlet
Blue Penguin
So, what to make of the presence of NZSPs at the outer limits of the Hauraki Gulf, especially when they’re not being found off North Cape and Three Kings (See Sav’s report on his and the lads excellent trip a few days earlier).
Our April sighting is consistent with previous years and it’s worth remembering NZSPs have been in the Hauraki Gulf area this summer since 6 October 2006.
Happy seabirding
Chris (at Tokaanu)
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