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In 1985, 5,967 kilometres of coast were patrolled and 28,304 dead seabirds were found, both new records for the Beach Patrol Scheme. A new species for the scheme was a white-bellied storm petrel (
Fregetta grallaria). Ten species were found in greater numbers in 1985 than in any previous year: little blue penguin (
Eudyptula minor), Buller’s mollymawk (
Diomedea bulleri), white-headed petrel (
Pterodroma lessonii), fairy prion (
Pachyptila turtur), fulmar prion (
P. crassirostris), fluttering shearwater (
Puffinus gavia), Australasian gannet (
Sula bassana), pied shag (
Phalacrocorax varius), red-billed gull (
Larus novaehollandiae scopulinus) and white-fronted tern (
Sterna striata). The record numbers of fairy prions, fulmar prions and fluttering shearwaters were the result of wrecks of these species in August-September, mainly along the western and southern coasts of the North Island. A summary is given of the coastal and monthly distributions for most
Pterodroma species found during the 1960-1984 period. The most frequently found species was the white-headed petrel, a result of 30-100 being found in spring of most years.