Publications Archive

Past information on the birds of Antipodes Island is reviewed and an account given of the findings of the first scientific party to live ashore, from 28 January 1969 to 12 March 1969. The bird list of 37 species includes 16 for which breeding is proven (11 seabirds and 5 landbirds); eight seabirds that almost certainly breed but whose eggs or chicks have yet to be seen; four seabirds and two landbirds that possibly breed and two seabirds and two landbirds that appear to be stragglers. Three seabirds known only from nearby seas complete the tally. Dimensions are given of birds handled or collected. Most were petrels and included a sample of soft-plumaged petrels, previously unrecorded in New Zealand, the skins of which were compared with those of other populations and judged to belong to the nominate race. Skins of the little shearwaters, collected for the first time at Antipodes Island, agreed with examples of the subspecies elegans from the South Atlantic. A census was attempted of the wandering albatross population, and the penguin and northern giant petrel colonies were mapped. The seabird fauna is compared with the seabird faunas of our other southern islands.

Large numbers of Cape pigeons (Daption capense) breed at the Snares Islands. Egg laying occurs in the second week of November and is probably synchronous. Both adults incubate the single white egg. Hatching occurs from the third week in December to the first week in January. Chicks are brooded continuously for up to 10 days and guarded for up to 15 days after hatching. Weight increases until the chicks reach mean adult weight about three weeks after hatching. Adults continue to feed chicks until they fledge, from 47 to 57 days after hatching. The colonies are then deserted for a period while adults moult at sea. The birds remain around the islands throughout the year. There was no evidence of predation during breeding. Exposure of nest site to wind and rain affected breeding success. Band recoveries suggest a strong nest site attachment from year to year.

During 1977, 3,073 kilometres of coast were patrolled by 132 members of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand and their friends. 5,542 dead seabirds and 135 non-seabirds were found. There were no major wrecks. Small, sometimes local, wrecks of broad-billed prions (Pachyptila vittata), sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus), short-tailed shearwaters (P. tenuirostris) and fluttering shearwaters (P. gavia) are noted. Unusual finds were one each of: Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica), fulmar prion (Pachyptila crassirostris), black-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica), grey ternlet (Procelsterna cerulea) and Pitt Island shag (Stictocarbo punctatus featherstoni) (a new record for beach patrolling).

1978. Oxford University Press. 1012 pp; 404 figures, maps, photographs and field sketches; 14 col. and 18 b & w plates; 19 appendices; bibliography; 275 x 195 mm