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I have raved on and on about how Kaikoura is the best place in the world to see albatrosses , but the once sleepy seaside town is not actually famous for these magnificent birds. What put this once small fishing town on the map was not birds but mammals, specifically whales and dolphins. And people do go to see them.
Kaikoura, in New Zealand’s South Island, is arguably the best place in the world to see albatrosses and petrels. And the endemic Hutton’s Shearwater, which only breeds in Kaikoura, will keep you entertained for those few minutes till the albatrosses hit. More Albatrosses, this time a White-capped Albatross !
The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it. Who can resist penguins and whales?
Thanks to it’s marine canyon it’s the place to see Sperm Whales, swim with Dusky Dolphins and New Zealand Fur-seals, and watch albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels. There is no better place on Earth to see albatrosses, and that is a precious thing. White-capped Albatrosses are easy to see.
I will never tire of banging Kaikoura’s drum as the best place in the world to see albatrosses, and since albatrosses are the among the best birds in the world it amazes me that none of you have made it out here yet (actually, some of you have, per some of the comments, but Corey hasn’t). At first anyway.
The list kinds crystalized during my first big trip, on which I knocked off my two big targets (the manta ray and whale shark) but since then beyond seeing an antelope (and then many other different kinds), it hasn’t budged much at all. A beaked whale. Any beaked whale. Hammerhead shark.
Soon afterwards a confident shout heralds the sighting of the first albatross of the day… This is usually a Shy Albatross as sweeps in slow and graceful flight over the wake before veering away on motionless wings giving all the opportunity to see the characteristic axillary ‘thumb-print’ on the mainly white underwing.
And then there are the crazy-awesome Dippers and one should not forget the great diving birds like Gannets and Albatrosses. Looking through some of my photos from my last trip to Thailand, I got to wondering what birds the various fish and creatures would be if they were feathered.
Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.
Rats had previously preyed on eggs and young of practically every defenseless seabird on the island, and had taken to even attacking adult albatross as they sat on their nests. Albatross chicks will no longer have to endure slowly getting eaten alive, unlike this poor bird.
Yes, the same Kaikoura I keep banging on about that is a great place to see albatrosses. But mostly it was that I had swam with dolphins a bunch of times already, usually in crystal clear tropical waters, and money was a bit tight after seeing sperm whales and albatrosses, so I decided to enjoy the Hector’s Dolphins from the boat.
In Hawaii I stood on a beach as albatrosses fledged and Tiger Sharks prowled for the less successful ones. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. This Laysan Albatross died from ingested plastic. In the Bahamas I swam in a pod of feeding dolphins. I still have that marker.
The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. My recollection of prior trips is that we used relatively small fishing boats and had 20-25 birders, plus the leaders. This was much larger.
At sea there are also New Zealand Sea Lions and Southern Right Whales. Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike) Dunedin You don’t have to go very far to see spectacular seabirds in this southern city, the adjoining Otago Peninsula is home to the only mainland colony of albatrosses in the world.
Albatrosses. Then I got tired and lied down and when I woke up two hours, a Bridled Tern , a Minke Whale , and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle had went by. Red Phalarope – The last phalarope for me to see, this bird was a long shot as it was a bit too early to expect one. I could dream though! European Storm-Petrel. It was awesome.
It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds. Extreme rarities, such as Yellow-nosed Albatross are excluded. It is a challenging activity. No rails or gallinules. There are Eiders, King and Common.
It was somewhere after the Cassin’s Auklets and before the Black-footed Albatrosses that I realized I was doomed to be seasick no matter how many meds and ginger chews I ingest (and, no, the patch doesn’t work either). But, I saw the bird! I even managed to get a single photo. (9) 9) Cory’s Shearwater.
Black-footed Albatross : The most common albatross off the west coast, virtually all of the world’s Black-footed Albatross also breed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, on the same islands as the Laysan Albatross on Hawaiian Islands NWR and Midway Atoll NWR.
Along with Humpback Whales you have the chance of seeing Antipodean Albatrosses , Wilson’s Storm-petrels and Providence Petrels. Antipodean Albatross ( Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni ) off the continental shelf. Monthly pelagic trips leave from the city, and the nearby town of Wollongong, out to the continental shelf.
But what I have long wanted to do is get out on a boat in California, the fabled land of albatrosses, murrelets, and auklets. I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Black-footed Albatross (LIFER!!!!!!)
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