Petrel patrol working

The New Zealand Seabird Trust is “thrilled” with the response to its call for Tītī/Cook’s Petrel sightings.

In the first month, more than 140 reports of tītī calls and sightings were logged from across the Auckland-Northland region.

Izzy Brown, from the Tītī / Cook’s Petrel Mainland Flyway Project, said reports were coming from a remarkably wide area, stretching from the west coast at Muriwai and South Head right across to Mangawhai, Leigh, Ti Point, Snells Beach and the Tawharanui Peninsula, as well as from inland communities such as Warkworth, Matakana, Silverdale and the Hibiscus Coast.

“This growing dataset is already helping us visualise the scale and complexity of this nocturnal flyway,” Brown says. “It’s clear there’s still so much more to learn.”

Brown says the trust is keen to keep the momentum going – “every report helps, even a single call or brief sighting”.

An audio of the petrel’s call can be heard with this story online at www.localmatters.co.nz

Reporting forms can be found at: https://forms.gle/Hzg95g9sB4SKkqkAA