Storm survivors released.

05
Aug

The high winds and severe storms that rocked the country last week, also tossed two giant petrels ashore. After public rescue, and the expert care of Robert and Robyn at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre, Dive! Tutukaka crew released them today 23 km offshore at the Poor Knights Islands.

Thrown ashore at Taiharuru, and Oceans Beach, members of the public picked the almost 4 kilogram birds up and took then to well known native bird expert Robert Webb at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre.

“No sooner had I settled one fellow in, another arrived,” said Robert. Fed mussels and fish, the two seabirds gained strength and weight in absolute comfort, and in good company.

The Pangurunguru, or the giant petrel, has other (less attractive) names; Nelly, stinkpot, stinker, Antarctic giant petrel, and its aggressive antics apparently amuse fisherman as they scavenge and perch aboard boats for a rest whilst at sea.

They are same size as the southern giant but have a more laboured flight and are closely related to the albatross but tend to flap more, and glide less.  With a wing span of about 90 cm and weighing in at 4.5 kg or more, they can give you a nasty peck if they wanted to!  The colour will change during various stages as a juvenile, to an adult, with variable plumage from white to grey brown; the Southern giant is separated from the Northern by having a green, not brownish tip to the bill.

They are circumpolar and breed on many of New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands. A predator of smaller seabirds, the Northern petrel are much rarer than the southern giant petrel overall (ie small world population), yet more common coastal waters around New Zealand.

Quite ungainly on land, they find it extremely difficult to take off, hence they need to be released at sea for a successful rehabilitation. They seem placid and relaxed, but if you hear a coughing squawk, this is the warning to keep away. Should one persist, the bird will almost invariably eject a quantity of evil–smelling oil with skill and precision. The chicks do exactly the same. Hence the name stinker or stinkpot. Charming.

“We seem to be releasing one bird a week,” joked Kate Malcolm, after a giant petrel was taken out a couple of weeks ago, and Jean-Michel Cousteau recently released a mollymawk off the coast. ” It is the least we can do for these amazing birds, as long as people can get them to Robert and Robyn they will have a better than average chance of survival. We are at sea almost every day, and are happy to give these hitch-hikers a lift! “

A final word from Robert and Robyn.

If you find an injured bird, please…....

Place the bird in a box with something soft for it to sit on. It needs to be somewhere comfortable because when we first get an injured bird its stress levels are very high. Therefore we will leave it 5-8 hours before working on it. If the bird is bleeding bad let us know when you phone as this may affect its treatment time.

Never put food or water with the bird as all birds can go without for at least 24 hours. If a bird is fed before treatment, there will be a good chance it will regurgitate the food and choke.

If a wing is broken, don’t tape it up as this will do more harm to the wing when we try to undo it.

For more information

Giant Petrel

Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre

Giant petrel

Wikipedia, Southern Giant Petrel

Giant petrel, Answers.com

More pictures in the Image Library.

Petrel ready to jump ship, picture at the Poor Knights.