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CalendarTrip Report: Belinda Wilson:
MV Kato - Saturday 25 March 2023
Departed 07:40 am.
Conditions were pleasant despite steady rain 1 km further up the coast, with only a slight swell. We headed straight for the continental shelf edge, arriving 30 km offshore without any stops en route.
Here we began chumming, with birds showing little interest to begin with, until a raucous fight broke out between some Flesh-footed Shearwaters. Their cries brought other birds in to investigate.
Three Flesh-footed Shearwaters were netted by the first mate, and one was banded by Tony Hunt using Lindsay Smiths bands.
During this time, we observed the trips rarities: the Buller's albatross which landed 100m from the boat, Wilson's Storm-petrels from afar, a Grey-faced Petrel which fed in the slick, and a single Tahiti Petrel which flew by rapidly.
While several Shy Albatross (and the single Buller's Albatross) flew within identification range, only three landed on the water nearby, and one waited patiently beside the boat waiting to be fed mackerel caught by the first mate.
After an hour spent drifting, the boat was driven south along the slick for 1 - 2 kilometres before chumming again, in hope of attracting more birds. Here we spotted a single Long-tailed Jaeger, and a rapid flyby of 6 Flutton's types, which were identified as Hutton's shearwaters upon photo inspection. We then drove inshore and reached the harbour at 14:50 pm.
Fifteen species were recorded for the day.
Shy Albatross - 9
Buller's Albatross - 2
Australasian Gannet - 31
Silver Gull - 50
Crested Tern - 16
Long-tailed Jaeger - 1
Tahiti Petrel - 1
Grey-faced Petrel - 3
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 3
Flesh-footed Shearwater - 120
Wedge-tailed Shearwater - 5
Short-tailed Shearwater - 5
Hutton's Shearwater - 5
Australian Pelican - 3
White-faced Storm-Petrel - 1