Hauraki Gulf Seabirds - What birds can be seen and when?

October/November > March/April (Austral Summer)

• Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii How to distinguish between Cook's and Pycroft's Petrels - download PDF Document (breeding Little Barrier - endemic to NZ with the largest colonies in the Hauraki Gulf)
• Pycroft's Petrel Pterodroma pycrofti How to distinguish between Cook's and Pycroft's Petrels - download PDF Document
• Black-winged Petrel P. nigripennis (very occasionally)
• Grey-faced Petrel P. macroptera (Occasional pre or post-breeding birds)
• Kermadec Petrel P. neglecta
• Providence Petrel Pterodroma solandri
• White-naped Petrel Pterodroma cervicalis
• White-headed Petrel Pterodroma lessonii
• Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis
• Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata
• Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni (breeding on Great & Little Barrier and Hen Islands - endemic to the Hauraki Gulf)
• Westland Black Petrel Procellaria westlandica
• White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
• Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea Many Grey Petrels are killed by fishing long-lining.
• Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix (breeding on a number of islands)
• New Zealand Storm Petrel Pealeornis maoriana The New Zealand storm petrel is a small storm petrel, with scimitar-shaped wings; slender-looking body; black/dark brown head, neck and upper parts (a paler but not prominent diagonal band across the upperwing coverts); white belly and flanks with dark variable streaking a constant diagnostic feature, the degree of streaking varying from minimal streaking on the belly, to an overall dusky appearance; on some birds the streaking is in a pronounced longitudinal band on each side running through the thighs. The white rump is prominent; the tail black. The long legs have toes extending well beyond the tail; legs and feet black with no sign of paler webs. Bill is black; relatively short nasal tube pressed on to the bill for its entire length. Flight is typically direct, swift and agile (swallow-like); frequently makes rapid changes in direction. Flies low across the sea surface with rapid wing beats, interspersed with glides at times. When braking suddenly (to change direction or to drop quickly to the sea surface) primaries can flare to give the wings a fleetingly rounded appearance. They patter and dance but often only briefly, sometimes ‘belly-flopping’ onto the surface of the water. They run, skip and, occasionally, while flying at speed push off the side of waves to glide and even ‘water-ski’, alternating between one foot and the other. When chumming New Zealand storm petrels would generally approach the boat upwind, flying low and at speed towards the slick (sometimes passing close to the boat). If birds stopped to linger over the slick they would flutter and patter, dipping to feed. Some continued flying, showing little apparent interest in the slick; others, after investigating the slick, could be observed circling round the boat/slick, flying downwind then back upwind to the slick. This pattern might be repeated several times, with additional birds flying in. By contrast white-faced storm petrels attracted would generally stay with the slick displaying their characteristic pattering feeding behaviour, and at times building to considerable numbers. New Zealand storm petrels have been observed resting on the water in very calm conditions with Cook’s petrel (Pterodroma cookii), Buller’s shearwater (Puffinus bulleri), flesh-footed shearwater (P. carneipes) and fluttering shearwater (P. gavia). New Zealand storm petrels are for the most part solitary when observed while cruising; sometimes feeding in the vicinity of or amongst white-faced storm petrels (Pelagodroma marina), particularly along plankton slicks; or found in areas where fairy prions (Pachyptila turtur) have been observed. At no time have we heard them vocalise. Chris Gaskin/Karen Baird 2005
• White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina
• Grey-backed Storm Petrel Oceanites nereis
• Fregetta sp
• Aberrantly plumaged Petrel (*)
• White-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta grallaria
• Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica
• Southern Giant Petrel Macronectus giganteus
• Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri (breeding only on Poor Knights - endemic to the Hauraki Gulf)
• Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia (breeding in huge numbers on a number of islands)
• Hutton's Shearwater Puffinus huttoni
• Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes (breeding on Hen & Chicks and Mokohinau Islands)
• Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus
• Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris
• Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus
• Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur (breeding on a number of islands)
• Antarctic Prion Pachyptila desolata
• Blue Penguin Eudyptula minor (breeding on islands throughout the Gulf)
• Yellow-eyed Penguin Megadyptes antipodes
• White-capped Albatross Thalassarche [cauta] steadii (seen on one trip inside the islands)
• Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma
• Salvin's Albatross T. [cauta] salvini
• Buller's Albatross T. [bulleri] bulleri
• Pacific (Northern Buller's) Albatross T. [bulleri] sp.
• Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea [epomophora] sanfordi
• Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea [epomophora] epomophora
• Black-backed Gull Larus dominicanus Also known as Dominican Gull or Kelp Gull. The latter something of a misnomer in NZ with Black-backs commonly seen well inland, with some breeding amongst mountains.
• Red-billed Gull Larus scopulinus
• Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus (regularly over summer months)
• Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus (very occasionally)
• Brown skua Catharacta skua (very occasionally)
• South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki
• Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
• White-fronted Tern Sterna striata
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata
• Fairy Tern Sterna nereis
• Little Tern Sterna albifrons
• Grey ternlet Procelsterna cerulea (on Maori Rocks, Mokohinau Group)
• White (Fairy) Tern Gygis alba
• Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda (Rare vagrant to New Zealand - seen in northern NZ waters late March April)
• Australasian Gannet Morus serrator (breeding on Maori Rocks, Mokohinau Group, and stacks close to Great Barrier Island and Poor Knights)
• Pied Shag Phalacrocorax varius
• Spotted Shag Stictocarbo punctatus
• Stewart Island Shag Leucocarbo chalconotus
• King (Rough-faced) Shag Leucocarbo carunculatus
• Reef Heron Egretta sacra
• White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae
• Shore Plover Thinornis novaeseelandiae
• NZ Dotterel Charadrius obscurus Other name - Red-breasted Dotterel

As we do more trips we are expect to encounter species such as the Kermadec Petrel, birds breeding to the north of New Zealand.

April/June > September/October

• Grey-faced Petrel P. macroptera (Breeding on a number of islands and possibly some mainland sites)
• Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix
• Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
• Cape Petrel Daption capense australe
• Northern Giant Petrel Macronectus halli
• Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri (a good number remain in Gulf waters over winter months)
• Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia (these often raft in big numbers)
• Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis
• Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur
• Blue Penguin Eudyptula minor (breeding on islands throughout the Gulf)
• Fiordland Crested Penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
• Snowy (Wandering) Albatross Diomedea exulans It should be noted that the Snowy Albatross is the largest by far of all the Wandering Albatrosses being second in size only to the Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora which is only slightly larger. Gibson's Albatross (named after Dough Gibson, founder of the NSWASG) is about 40% smaller than the Snowy. (Lindsay Smith, SOSSA) Peter Milburn photographed this bird 2004 at Wollongong. The bird was banded and its identification confirmed with biometrics as part of SOSSA's programme.
• Gibson's Albatross Diomedea gibsoni
• Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis
• White-capped Albatross Thalassarche [cauta] steadii
• Black-browed Albatross T. [melanophrys] melanophrys
• Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida
• Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross T. [chlororhynchos] carteri
• Black-backed Gull Larus dominicanus Also known as Dominican Gull or Kelp Gull. The latter something of a misnomer in NZ with Black-backs commonly seen well inland, with some breeding amongst mountains.
• Red-billed Gull Larus scopulinus
• White-fronted Tern Sterna striata
• Grey ternlet Procelsterna cerulea (on Maori Rocks, Mokohinau Group)
• Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
• NZ Dotterel Charadrius obscurus Other name - Red-breasted Dotterel

As we do more trips during winter months we expect that we will pick up a greater range of species - especially southern breeding birds, ranging away from their breeding grounds.