Western Pacific Odyssey
Figs. 2-3. New Zealand Storm-Petrel Oceanites maorianus
. Getting
up close-and-personal with this recently rediscovered jewel is a dream for almost
every seabird fanatic. First collected by the Astrolabe Expedition in 1829,
there are only a handful of specimens and the bird was last 'seen' in 1850.
On 25th January 2003 a pelagic trip sailing out of Whitianga on the Coromandel
Peninsula, New Zealand, organised by Wrybill Birding Tours briefly encountered
a puzzling white-rumped Storm-Petrel. Fortunately they managed to photograph
the bird and it was not long before the link to the three extant specimens (in
London and Paris) was made. Follow up trips have successfully encountered more
New Zealand Storm-Petrels, sometimes in small flocks. Now the search is on to
discover and protect the nesting sites. Photography
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