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Trip Report

Southeastern French Polynesia to New Zealand

– 18 September-3 October 2006

Steve Wood and I have just completed a 13-day trip on board a vessel traveling from the Gambier Islands in southern French Polynesia to New Zealand. Our route took us via the Morotiri Group, the most remote of the Austral Islands and close to Rapa.

The following are lists of birds seen as we traveled south and west. These are presented by degree of latitude to highlight patterns of occurrence. The species are listed in order of abundance, names in caps when species were first seen.

Departure: 19 Sept 4PM Rikitea, Gambier Islands, south-eastern French Polynesia 23 07.007S 134 57.879W

Arrival: 3 Oct 9.30AM Tauranga, New Zealand 37 37.486S 176 09.916E

23S > 24S

BLACK NODDY
WHITE TERN
CHRISTMAS SHEARWATER
AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER
KERMADEC PETREL
WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD
CRESTED TERN

WT 23.5C > 22.7C

24S > 25S

SOFT-PLUMAGED PETREL
BLACK (PARKINSON'S) PETREL
WHITE-HEADED PETREL
MURPHY'S PETREL
White tern
COOKILARIA SP
HENDERSON PETREL
TAHITI PETREL
CAPE PETREL
POLYNESIAN STORM PETREL
Small all-dark petrel - prob. BULWER'S PETREL

WT 22.7C > 22C

25S > 26S

At night

WT 22C >22.5C

26S > 27S

Soft-plumaged petrel
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
Christmas shearwater
Murphy's petrel
WHITE-FACED STORM PETREL
RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD
WANDERING ALBATROSS
BLACK-WINGED PETREL
Cape petrel
WHITE-BELLIED STORM PETREL (prob. titan subsp)
Unidentified dark storm petrel

WT 21.5C > 20C

27S > 28S (most of the day was spent surveying Morotiri, Austral Islands)

BLUE-GREY NODDY
Murphy's petrel
Christmas shearwater
Soft-plumaged petrel
Polynesian storm petrel
SOOTY TERN

BROWN NODDY

White tern
White-bellied storm petrel (prob. titan subsp)
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
Kermadec petrel
LITTLE SHEARWATER (pos. myrtae)
Wandering albatross
Cape petrel
GREY PETREL
Prob. Minke Whale at Morotiri

WT 19.8C

28S > 29S

Soft-plumaged petrel
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
Kermadec petrel
Murphy's petrel
White-headed petrel
Christmas shearwater
Polynesian storm petrel
Cape petrel
Grey petrel
SOOTY SHEARWATER
Wandering albatross

WT 20°C > 18.7C

29S > 30S

Grey petrel
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
Soft-plumaged petrel
WHITE-CHINNED PETREL
Wandering albatross
SALVIN'S ALBATROSS
GREAT-WINGED PETREL (nominate)

WT 18.5C

30S > 31S

GREAT-WINGED PETREL (goudli)
Soft-plumaged petrel
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
White-chinned petrel
Grey petrel
COOK'S PETREL
Black-winged petrel
Kermadec petrel
White-headed petrel
Cape petrel
LITTLE SHEARWATER (haurakiensis)

WT 18.6C > 17.4C

31S > 32S

Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Soft-plumaged petrel
White-chinned petrel
Grey petrel
Wandering albatross
BULLER'S ALBATROSS (SOUTHERN)
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS
Cookilaria sp
Black-winged petrel
Salvin's albatross
Cape petrel
Cook's petrel

WT 17.3C > 16.8C > 17.1C

32S > 33S

Soft-plumaged petrel

Great-winged petrel (gouldi)

White-headed petrel

Sooty shearwater

Grey petrel

White-chinned petrel

Black (Parkinson's) petrel

Cape petrel

Cook's petrel

Buller's albatross

Black-browed albatross (immatures pos. Campbell)

Wandering albatross

NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS (juv)

CAMPBELL ALBATROSS

WT 16.7C > 15.7C

33S > 34S

Soft-plumaged petrel
White-headed petrel
Grey petrel
Wandering albatross
Buller's albatross
Cape petrel
White-chinned petrel
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Salvin's albatross
Campbell albatross
Black-browed albatross (immatures pos. Campbell)
NORTHERN GIANT PETREL
Cookilaria sp

WT 16.4C > 16.2C

34S > 35S

White-chinned petrel
Wandering albatross
Grey petrel
Campbell albatross
Soft-plumaged petrel
White-headed petrel
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Sooty shearwater
Buller's albatross
Salvin's albatross
Cape petrel
Cook's petrel
White-faced storm petrel
BULLER'S SHEARWATER
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER
3 Sperm whale sightings

WT 15.4C > 15.9C > 15.6C

35S > 36S

Sooty shearwater
White-chinned petrel
Soft-plumaged petrel
Campbell albatross
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Wandering albatross
Buller's shearwater
Cape petrel
Little shearwater (haurakiensis)
White-faced storm petrel
Buller's albatross
Salvin's albatross
Cook's petrel
Grey petrel
White-headed petrel
Northern royal albatross
Cookilaria sp
Prob. Blue Whale
Humpback Whale

WT 15.8C > 16.2C

36S > 36.4S

Sooty shearwater
Cook's petrel
White-faced storm petrel
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
White-chinned petrel
Little shearwater (haurakiensis)
Buller's albatross
Campbell albatross
Wandering albatross
Cape petrel
Grey petrel
Soft-plumaged petrel
Salvin's albatross
Black-browed albatross
Cookilaria sp
White-headed petrel
Buller's shearwater
GREAT SHEARWATER (approx 400nms ENE from East Cape)

WT 15.4C > 16.2C > 15.9C

36.4S > 37S

Sooty shearwater
Cook's petrel
Buller's shearwater
Little shearwater (haurakiensis)
White-chinned petrel
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Campbell albatross
Cape petrel
White-faced storm petrel
Wandering albatross
Buller's albatross
Grey petrel
Cookilaria sp
SOUTHERN BLACK-BACKED GULL
Soft-plumaged petrel
Salvin's albatross
CHATHAM ISLAND ALBATROSS
White-headed petrel

.4C > 16.1C

37S

Sooty shearwater
Buller's shearwater
Great-winged petrel (gouldi)
Little shearwater (haurakiensis)
Cook's petrel
White-chinned petrel
FLUTTERING SHEARWATER
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER
COMMON DIVING PETREL
AUSTRALASIAN GANNET
Wandering albatross
White-faced storm petrel
WHITE-FRONTED TERN (Tauranga)
BLUE PENGUIN (Tauranga)
Southern black-backed gull (Tauranga)
RED-BILLED GULL (Tauranga)
PIED SHAG (Tauranga)
LITTLE PIED SHAG (Tauranga)
Black-browed albatross (immatures pos. Campbell)
Grey Petrel
Black (Parkinson's) petrel
Cape petrel
Northern royal albatross
Campbell albatross
Buller's albatross
Cookilaria sp
Soft-plumaged petrel
White-headed petrel
FAIRY PRION
Pod of 12-15 Sperm Whales at close range off East Cape
Sunfish
NZ fur seal

WT 16.5C > 16.0C > 16.8C > 16C

We will prepare a short note with photos on the great shearwater sighting. The Morotiri survey was funded in part by the European Union through Birdlife's International Important Bird Area Programme in the Pacific implemented in French Polynesia by the Societe d'Orithologie de Polynesie - Manu.

Happy seabird birdwatching folks

Chris Gaskin
Pterodroma Pelagics

PS maybe we'll see that great sw this Friday on our next Hauraki Gulf pelagic! It was certainly heading for NZ