The strange Subantarctic voyager

Storms out at sea can cause chaos and havoc for our seabird species, in-fact it’s no surprise to see large numbers of certain species washing up dead - particularly after major weather events. Fairy Prions, Fluttering Shearwaters, and Little Blue Penguins are some of the few species who’s bodies are no stranger to being washed into the inner spit.

Northern Giant Petrels however…. Not so much. This brutal bird is a very uncommon visitor too somewhere so far north (they breed on the Subantarctic Islands), and so finding one alive is even more strange.

Richard Stoker is going to be taking care of our friend until Cyclone Gabrielle passes through

This is the second time (ever) that a Northern Giant Petrel has been taken into care here in Golden Bay, which proves not only how rare they are - but their strength to withstand fierce storms to.

The main threats to northern giant petrels is being caught on commercial longline fishing hooks, and fatal collisions with the heavy metal cables that attach trawl nets to commercial fishing vessels. Other marine threats include eating marine plastic debris, and oil spills. Between 2000 and 4000 giant petrels were estimated killed in illegal or unregulated longline fisheries in 1997-1998.

To date, there is an estimated 11,000 - 14,000 breeding pairs of Northern Giant Petrels, and most colonies range from 10 to 280 nests, spaced 3-5 m apart.