Winter seabirds arriving at Straddie

Australian Gannets, Bruce Martin.
On a wet and windy Sunday in June, Colin Reid and three fellow seabird aficionados had a great bird watching session at Point Lookout. Seabirds, which breed over summer on sub-Antarctic Islands in Bass strait and off southern Australia, are starting to arrive at Straddie to forage over winter.

A great variety of birds were spotted, including:
  • 3 Black-browed Albatross 
  • 2 Northern Giant Petrels 
  • 14 Great-winged Petrels 
  • 2 White-headed Petrels (very rare for Stradbroke) 
  • 1 Kermadec Petrel (another rarity for NSI) 
  • 2 Prion sp (most likely Fairy) 
  • 1 Brown Booby 
  • 80 Common Noddies 
  • ~100 Australian Gannets (60% juveniles) 
  • 10 Fluttering/Hutton's type Shearwaters and – in the water – 10 Humpbacks! 
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