Trip Report
8 March 2004
11 Pax plus Skipper Phil and guides Chris & Karen departed Ti Point at 9.30AM.
A light Easterly of 5-10 knots and High Tide. Small wind chop plus a swell rolling through the Colville Channel.
We started our birding day at Omaha Spit for a look at the massed Eastern Bar-tailed Godwits. Also a few Variable Oystercatchers, NZ Dotterels, and White-fronted and Caspian Terns.
Ti Point to Little Barrier
Quite a few Buller's Shearwaters, Flesh-footed Shearwaters and a small group of Gadfly Petrels flying through.
First Chumming location (5mins)
Stopped to chum briefly so folks could get a good close look at Buller's (20) and Flesh-footed (20) Shearwaters. Also one Short-tailed Shearwater, one Fluttering Shearwater and a couple of Gadfly (Cook's) Petrels flicked through. Two Blue Penguins close by.
Quite quiet the rest of the way to Little Barrier with Cook's Petrels, a few Buller's Shearwaters and the occasional Gannet.
Stop for a cuppa in the lee of Little Barrier.
Little Barrier to Mokohinau Islands
Wind dying somewhat and shifting more to the NE. Large calm patches.
While steaming saw 4 Blue Penguins, 1 Gannet, 3 Buller's Shearwaters, the occasional Flesh-footed Shearwater and 5 Cook's Petrels.
Second chumming location
7 Flesh-footed Shearwaters
7 Cook's Petrels
5+ Buller's Shearwaters
3 Blue Penguins nearby
No storm petrels
Moved a little further north picking up a few more of the same birds. Noticed one Cook's picking up something from the water.
Third Chumming Location
Chummed close to a group of feeding Gannets (approx 100). Drew in a couple of Black Petrels, 5 Cook's Petrels, 2-3 Buller's Shearwaters and one Flesh-footed Shearwater.
Saw another group of gannets feeding along with other birds (Flesh-footed and Buller's Shearwaters, Cook's and Black Petrels).
Big boil ups of fish across about 50-100 metres - four or five of them simultaneously. Fish moving very fast, then sounded. Everything went very, very quiet. We could pick them up in huge numbers with the boat's sonar.
After that very quiet while steaming through to the Mokes. Still no stormies of any kind seen.
Mokohinaus
Decided to head for the Arches for lunch. Big flock of about 100 Gannets on the water just SW of Flax Islands (500m). Also a lot of Red-billed Gulls sitting around nearby. Some of the group took the chance for a swim and snorkel. Others were content to watch Red-crowned Parakeets, Tui, Bellbirds and Fantails.
After lunch cruised through to Maori Rocks. Saw one Fluttering Shearwater resting on the water. Close to the rocks saw several Grey Ternlets flying. Counted 40+on the stacks. Hard to be accurate as there were a number flying in and out to feed. About 50 Gannets - mostly fledged juveniles. The colony looking very bare and white, although the intense smell remains.
Headed out to sea NE of Maori Rocks. Saw a number of flying fish. Spotted a huge work up of Gannets diving into a massive school of big leaping fish (turned out to be barracoutta). Decided to chum about 100m away then watched as the school moved towards us. An extraordinary sight.
Fourth chumming location 4.15PM (until 4.53PM)
Flesh-footed Shearwaters 20+
Pycroft's Petrels 10+ - coming in quite close and fluttering/hovering over the water like Fairy Prions or Terns
Cook's Petrels 10+
Gannets
Fish included schools of Barracoutta, Kingfish and Pilchards (which Chris found in the gut of two barracoutta cut up to add to the chum). Also a marlin was seen amongst them. Some of the lads did some fishing - bringing up only barracoutta. The lures couldn't get down below them to catch anything else.
Decided to move across to Groper Rock and tried a location just to the north of there.
Fifth chumming location
1 White-faced Storm Petrel (the first for the day!)
Black Petrel
Cook's/ Pycroft's) Petrels
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Buller's Shearwater
Red-billed Gull
Groper Rock - did a circuit around the island, very close to look for burrows and to get a feel for the island's topography. Some large burrows evident on the northern slopes. A lot more in the bare soft ground facing SE - both large and very small holes. Other burrows higher up in vegetation. A Harrier lifted out of the taupata on the summit.
Groper Rock to Ti Point
Started back with the setting sun. Good numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters, Cook's Petrels, one Buller's and the occasional White-faced Storm Petrel.
Sixth Chumming Location
Decided to have one last go as close to our control point as time and light allowed (between Little Barrier and Mokes). No stormies were attracted to the chum although we'd seen some just before we stopped. Otherwise the birds seen at this location were: Black Petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwaters, Cook's and one Buller's.
The rest of the trip was in the dark. Back in about 9.30PM.
--Chris Gaskin
Pterodroma Pelagics - Hauraki Gulf Seabird Tours
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