Whitianga

Trip Report New Zealand 2004

Simon Plat, Maaike Poppinga
Dates: 24-02-2003 till 13-03-2003
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Whitianga pelagic

Location: Whitianga is located on the eastern shores of the Coromandel Peninsula. Allow enough time to get there because the roads are winding and rather slow. The town is approximately three to four hours drive from Auckland. To enjoy the seabirds it is essential to get out in the open sea far enough. We held the '100 meter line' as a target (we read about that in some e-mail), which is a bit further than Red Mercury Island and approximately 2 hours with a fast boat.

Costs: We paid a total of NZ $ 400,- for the initial boat trip and had to pay another NZ $ 240,- to get to the 100 meter line which was further out to sea than the captain expected.

Date(s): 28-11-2004

Notes: The entire trip took from 14:30 till 20:00. Afternoon is best for finding Pycrofts Petrel flying back to their burrows on Red Mercury Island. The presence of good birds only started at approaching the 100 meter line, showing that, under our conditions (high off shore winds), you best get out as far as possible. The captain promised us that 'petrels' can allready be seen in the bay but those are all Fluttering Shearwaters!

Highlights: Little Penguin (1), Black Petrel (3), Grey-faced Petrel (V), Black-winged Petrel (1), Pycroft Petrel (at least some of the Pycroft/Cooks Petrels present must have been Pycroft), Little Shearwater (3), Buller's Shearwater (V), Flesh-footed Shearwater (V), White-faced Storm-Petrel (C), Common Diving Petrel (XX).

Pics:

	The Whitianga coast (Cooks Bay) seen from Shakespeare's Lookout.
Variable Oystercatcher is common along the coastline of New Zealand. These all black birds are most typical but birds with white bellies and intermediates are also common.
	The boat we finaly found, willing to take us out to the Red Mercury Island. This one is probably a bit bigger than the one that we original arranged to take us.
This Black Petrel is the only acceptable picture I was able to take during the trip: the sea was indeed pretty rough.

Bird List:

Column 1: E= endemic species; Eb=endemic breeding species
Column 2: V=Vulnerable

		Eudyptula minor	Little Penguin	Dwergpinguïn	1
Eb	V	Procellaria parkinsoni	Black Petrel	Zwarte Stormvogel	3
		Pterodroma macroptera	Great-winged/Grey-faced Petrel	Langvleugelstormvogel	V
		Pterodroma nigripennis	Black-winged Petrel	Zwartvleugelstormvogel	1
Eb	V	Pterodroma pycrofti	Pycroft's Petrel	Pycrofts Stormvogel	V
		Puffinus assimilis	Little Shearwater	Kleine Pijlstormvogel	3
Eb	V	Puffinus bulleri	Buller's Shearwater	Bullers Pijlstormvogel	V
		Puffinus carneipes	Flesh-footed Shearwater	Australische Grote Pijlstormvogel	V
Eb		Puffinus gavia	Fluttering Shearwater	Vlinderpijlstormvogel	CC
		Puffinus griseus	Sooty Shearwater	Grauwe Pijlstormvogel	V
		Pelagodroma marina	White-faced Storm-Petrel	Bont Stormvogeltje	C
		Pelecanoides urinatrix	Common Diving-Petrel	Alkstormvogeltje	XX
		Morus serrator	Australian Gannet	Pacifische Jan-van-gent	XX
		Phalacrocorax melanoleucos	Little Pied Cormorant	Kleine Bonte Aalscholver	V
		Phalacrocorax sulcirostris	Little Black Cormorant	Zwarte Aalscholver	V
		Phalacrocorax varius	Pied Cormorant	Bonte Aalscholver	V
E		Haematopus unicolor	Variable Oystercatcher	Nieuwzeelandse Zwarte Scholekster	X
		Vanellus miles	Masked Lapwing	Maskerkievit	V
		Larus dominicanus	Kelp Gull	Kelpmeeuw	X
E		Larus scopulinus	Red-billed Gull	Roodsnavelmeeuw	X
		Sterna caspia	Caspian Tern	Reuzenstern	1
		Sterna striata	White-fronted Tern	Tara-stern	X
		Hirundo neoxena	Welcome Swallow	Welkomzwaluw	V
E		Gerygone igata	Grey Gerygone	Maori-mangrovezanger	V
E		Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae	Tui	Toei	V

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