birding never sleeps: Birding Down Under part 7: At sea and Campbell Island (12-13 December 2023)

Unless stated otherwise all photos are mine (mostly taken with an entry level Bridge Camera following my 100-400mm Panasonic lens seizing up and not extending beyond 130mm).

Tuesday 12 December. A day at sea, on deck from 05:45-22:00, with breaks for meals, biosecurity checks and briefings for the following day’s Campbell Island options. When asked which was the best option for Campbell Island Teal we were told that they could be seen on each option, not a very helpful answer but one we had begun to expect. Being a day at sea a programme of talks were offered - Island Life, Terrestrial Birds of New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands, Ocean Nomads, Megaherbs, Campbell Island Flora and Campbell Island History. As usual I preferred being on deck.

Birds seen during the day were: 2 Brown Skuas, 7 Black-bellied Storm Petrels, 5 Gibson's, 10+ Southern Royal, 6+ Light-mantled Sooty, Black-browed, 15 Campbell, 2 Shy, Salvin's and Grey-headed Albatrosses, 8 Northern Giant and 2 Cape Petrels, 100+ Prion sp., 29 White-headed, Soft-plumaged and 7 Mottled Petrels and 12 Sooty Shearwaters.

Light-mantled Sooty Albatross between Macquarie and Campbell

one or two stayed around the ship for much of the day, as did

Southern Royal Albatross between Macquarie and Campbell

looking back from the upper observation deck

another Southern Royal Albatross

Northern Giant Petrel between Macquarie and Campbell

Northern Giant Petrel (photo: Paul Noakes)

Campbell Albatross between Macquarie and Campbell

White-headed Petrels between Macquarie and Campbell

White-headed Petrel at sea (photos: Paul Noakes)

Black-bellied Storm Petrel between Macquarie and Campbell

another Light-mantled Sooty Shearwater

Wednesday 13 December. We arrived off Campbell Island soon after dawn and moored in Perseverance Harbour. We’d been offered three options (long walk to North West Bay, all-day walk on Honey Mountain to get up close to breeding Southern Royal Albatrosses, or the morning Zodiac cruise and afternoon ascent of a boardwalk on the other side of the bay). We (me, Nick and the 3 Pauls) thought we’d negotiated a hybrid between the second and third options, a Zodiac cruise to look for Campbell Island Teal on the way to the Honey Mount drop off and time with the albatrosses. The teal were apparently easy to see feeding in the seaweed around the rocky shore, or so we were told. We set off, motored almost directly to the drop off with the only ‘teal’ pointed out on the way being Mallard, our driver was clearly not a birder! Disappointed to say the least we set off up to Honey Mountain on a rather slippery trail. Initially through dwarf forest we emerged into tussock grass and a biting gale with periods of driving rain. Scattered Southern Royal Albatrosses, many on nests, were keeping out of the wind and rain as much as possible and we were soon doing the same. Typical Subantarctic weather we were told. Concerned about Campbell Island Teal we returned early while some others climbed further up the mountain (and had a seedsnipe walking around by their feet). A Zodiac arrived to pick us up and we persuaded them to take us across to the other side of the bay as two or three pairs of Campbell Island Teal had been seen there that morning. We cruised as far as the start of the boardwalk with a distant view for some of one disappearing up a bank under overhanging vegetation the only sighting. We continued and were halfway across the next bay when we were called back to the boardwalk, arriving in time to see a female Campbell Teal swimming away. Still not great but at least we’d seen one. The Zodiac was returning to the Heritage Adventurer but it was only mid-afternoon and I had time to wander some way along the boardwalk so disembarked. The boardwalk was solid and easy walking but not very wide as I realised when going up against the flow. I kept going up onto the moorland and over a saddle which gave excellent views of the island. By now there were few left and I turned around just before the final back markers. Approaching the edge of the moorland I noticed Andy & Angie Goodwin, Graham Talbot and a couple of others intently watching something on the edge of or under the vegetation. I speeded up to find they had a Campbell Snipe working its way towards them. After a couple of brief views as it crept under nearby vegetation it emerged and stood on the boardwalk in full view before disappearing into tussocks. Amazing views although I was too busy watching it to think of reaching for my camera. Fortunately both Andy and Graham had no such hesitation and shared their images with me. We had only just left the jetty on the way back to the ship when a male Campbell Teal appeared alongside, the perfect send-off for what had turned out to be an excellent day. Back on board I seawatched to 22:00 with a costly break for dinner, Nick stayed out after I went in and saw 3 Subantarctic Shearwaters which was rather gripping.

During the day I saw 10 Australian Shelduck, 8 Mallard, male and female Campbell Teal, Campbell Snipe, 5 Red-billed and 25 Kelp Gulls, 10 Antarctic Terns, 8 Brown Skuas, single Wilsons, Grey-backed and Black-bellied Storm-Petrels, 2 Gibson’s, 30 Southern Royal, 12 Light-mantled Sooty, 10,000+ Campbell, Shy and 3 Grey-headed Albatrosses, 10 Northern Giant and 100 Cape Petrels, 50+ Antarctic and Fairy Prions, 4 White-chinned Petrels, 400 Sooty Shearwaters, 25 Campbell Shags and 6 New Zealand Pipits.

approaching Campbell Island

Perseverance Harbour from the observation deck

Giant Petrels by Campbell Island jetty (dropping off point for the boardwalk, we were going further to the opposite side of the harbour for Honey Mountain)