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New Zealand is arguably the "albatross and petrel capital" of the World, with a large number of breeding species, several endemic to the region.  The country also offers excellent opportunities for public viewing of procellariiform birds, both at a mainland breeding site and at sea.

Latest news from the colony of Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi at Taiaroa Head, at the end of the Otago Peninsula on the southern island, is that all 24 eggs laid this breeding season have hatched and all have survived well into the brood/guard stage (click here).

Meanwhile at sea farther north on the South Island off Kaikoura colour-banded albatrosses have continued to be seen regularly at sea last month, with one bird observed to be wearing an electronic device.

"Again, we've been seeing record numbers of birds foraging here including 46 Gibson's wandering albatross [Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni], 30 white-capped [Thalassarche steadi] and 25 Salvin's (T. salvini] albatross together with huge groups of spotted shags of up to up to 600 individuals and up to 2,000 red-billed gulls.  The current record for Gibson's wandering albatross stands at 54 individuals.  This is no doubt due to the productive nature of the Kaikoura Canyon system.  Recent data from NIWA suggests that our canyon system has one of the most productive seabed habitats known with the largest biomass of the larger invertebrates of any comparable system worldwide.

"We continue to see some of our regular banded birds such as orange 512, red 73E and orange 021.  Red 73E was seen sporting a minute electronic device on his leg so clearly a study possibly on his foraging adventures is being undertaken.  Orange 021 is a male Gibson's banded as a chick on 18/12/96.  He is now a breeding adult who first nested in 2008, but didn't breed in 2010.  It will be interesting to hear from our research team if he has had a successful breeding attempt this season.  Attempts also continue to locate the breeding grounds of orange 512, our most regular banded bird."

Quotes taken from http://www.albatrossencounter.co.nz/albatross/ocean_news/ where photographs of the banded birds may be viewed.  Lists of ACAP (and other) species seen daily in April off Kaikoura may be viewed at http://www.albatrossencounter.co.nz/albatross_old/sightings_old/.

Earlier news items can be read about the albatrosses of Taiaroa Head and off Kaikoura on this web site.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 3 May 2011