HI:
For those that keep track of rediscovered birds.

--

Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 06:49:06 -0000
From: tonypym2001 <tony_pym at hotmail.com>
Reply-To: pelagics at yahoogroups.com
To: pelagics at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [pelagics] New Zealand Storm-petrel IN THE HAND!

Below sent to interested parties - typed in haste from an Internet
cafe!

New Zealand Storm-petrel Oceanites maorianus - IN THE HAND!

Many have been following the story of the rediscovery of this bird in
New Zealand after more than a century. Here, a recent exciting
development.

I had arrived in New Zealand on 4th November 2005 after three weeks'
birding in Northern Australia.

On the early morning of 5th November, Karen Baird of Pterodroma Tours
informed me that a storm-petrel had landed on a fishing boat the
previous night in the Hauraki Gulf and by the description there was a
good chance it was a New Zealand Storm-petrel. The bird was alive
and had been kept overnight in a box.

I had pre-arranged a personal charter of the "Assassin", operating
out from Sandspit, for the 5th and we drew up plans to go out to the
fishing boat early morning. Aboard "Assassin" was Karen Baird,
Richard Griffiths (from the NZ DoC), myself plus three others. The
skipper was Brett Rathe.

The small fishing boat "Ocean Ranger" had anchored overnight in
Waimaomao Bay (Trawler Bay), Little Barrier Island. It had been a
starry night and the boat had only the fore and aft lights on. The
skipper, Geordie Murman, and his mate had just sat down to their
evening meal at 2145 hrs when a storm-petrel flew into the cabin to
land on the pocket of Geordie's shirt. He is knowledgable about
seabirds and worked on the Taiko project in the Chatham Islands,
indeed was the first to find a Magenta Petrel's burrow. He knew
immediately that this storm-petrel was the bird that everyone had
been talking about over the last few years.

We powered out to the "Ocean Ranger" and went aboard. Richard opened
the box as we waited eagerly. It was immediately confirmed that the
bird was a New Zealand Storm-petrel. Richard, with Karen assisting,
went through the measurements of the bird, ringed it, and many
photographs were taken, including details of the bill, undertail
coverts, feet, webs and so on (these relevant to genera and species
placing), a feather louse was found and taken, and feather samples
for DNA analysis. The bird did not have a brood patch. It was then
released and flew off strongly.

This bird is the first in the hand since the collections of the three
specimens in the late 1800's - therefore the first live captive bird
for some 120 years.

Further details will be posted on Karen's website, including results
from the DNA analysis once known. Hopefully, this data will help
settle some controversy, particularly in New Zealand, over the
species' standing.

It was interesting that the bird was very close inshore to Little
Barrier Island and this may well be a (the?) breeding location. It
had been suspected that the breeding site could be the Mokohinau
Islands - these can be seen from Little Barrier.

Some of my in-hand photographs will be posted when I return home late
December.

Karen's website is: www.nzseabirds.com

Regards,
Tony Pym





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