Currently playing out on the slopes of Lord Howe Is. Made famous by Attenborough’s filming of ‘birds falling from the sky’. Providence petrels in courtship clashes. #SuperSeabirdSunday.

Grey, white and black plumages small petrel sits with a slight bulge between its legs- indicating an egg is situated in the brood patch. The rear timber walls of the space form two sides of a nesting area covered in leaves and dirt. The view is partially obscured on the lower right as it’s see through a gap in a covering that makes up a camouflaged mesh cover- normally used by surface-nesting petrels

Black-winged Petrel on egg is my Easter #SuperSeabirdSunday offering. This fellow, normally a burrowing species, has taken a liking to our camo covered surface alcoves on Phillip Island off Norfolk.

Advanced-age nestling shearwater with golden down covering emerging darker adult plumage rests on a flattened strap-like Lomandra sedge.

Foreground person holds a downy shearwater chick while being observed by a second person holding a clipboard. The vegetation surrounding consists of clumped strap-like sedge with emerging orange flags delimiting search-area transects

A steel fence and rail emerges from sea-foam filling the breaking of a wave on a sea dock situated on the rocky foreshore with a windswept landscape in the background

A rare ‘ginger’ wedge-tailed shearwater nestling for #SuperSeabirdSunday. Discovered during the 66th productivity survey for shearwaters on Buranguba (Montague Island) off NSW. Seas blown up by 70 knot winds the next day will see us twiddling our thumbs for a few more days before homeward bound.

Wind blown Kermadec petrel chick for #SuperSeabirdSunday -same location as last years’ with returned 2021 fledgling-606- doing it 2-years in a row. That’s a great start for her breeding career as I’ve got another monitored bird that’s still going strong at 33 years.

So how do they get all that salt off their feathers? If you’re a seabird, you enjoy a shower. 2,000 Sooty Terns take to the air from their colony during a brief, intense rainstorm over Phillip Island, Norfolk.

Pale brown, long-billed wedge-tailed shearwater fledgling rests in a grass patch

Woman holds a downy seabird at a rocky foreshore site with sea in the background

Rugged coastline of a green island with lighthouse infrastructure in the distance

Low rise windswept island with fingers of mainland rock walls reaching out through a clam blue sea. Small islet in background

Pan-tropical Wedge-tailed Shearwaters are making the most of a warming climate as they establish in higher latitude sites in Eastern Australia. Penny Beaver’s MSc paper uncovers the flexibility of the species by examining two islands in subtropical and temperate sites. dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

As part of a current PhD studied (cherry-on-top of 35 years of seabird research) I’m recovering most of 80 GLS loggers from returning Kermadec petrel fledglings at the well studied Phillip Island colony of 60 pairs, off Norfolk.

Two silhouettes of flying birds against a background of woodland and ocean in a sunset light

Black-winged petrels chase everything else in their chaotic airspace over colonies. Like true gadflies (insects), this juvenile Kermadec petrel - itself casing its original fledging site to alight for the first time in 2-3 years - is tail-buzzed right across the my study area. #SuperSeabirdSunday

Only, Wium, if you try pulling them from their burrows! This fellow visited and stayed under the bunks for a couple of days. Perfect guest -except for the sharing and scratching!

Good to know- it’d be great to have a Hut logbook for all the incidentals- might make a great note in a journal, sometime.

I’m fascinated by Black-winged petrels. On Phillip Is, off Norfolk, they over-fly all day with concentrations near sunset. 1,000s of birds into the distance, calling and chasing. In 1967, the 1st nests were discovered. 60 years of unimpeded population growth. Over 20,000 pairs. Just inspiring.

Large white bird with dark eye markings and curved red bill sits on the ground in dappled shade with the downy head and breast of its chick emerging from under its left wing. Ted-tailed tropicbird.

This parent and hatchling Red-tailed tropicbird for my #SuperSeabirdSunday offering. With as many as 10 nesting within metres of the Park’s Hut on Phillip Island, off Norfolk last week- it was always advisable to have the phone handy

White-bellied Storm-petrel- seen occasionally in the air above Phillip Is Norfolk but its breeding location remains unknown-Friday nights recovery within a petrel colony was a first. Known breeding 900 km Sth or 1400 km Est. What an exquisite fellow! #SuperSeabirdSunday

Low lying land mass with a narrow stip of water between it and mainland

End of civil twilight dimly lit camping scene with a person silhouette on a higher ground.

Two smaller vessels being equipped with waterproofed equipment on a rock platform

Small, grey-black and white seabird with a large foot thrust in front for balance, on a small leafed shrub, at night.

Some of NSW coastal islands have their seabirds poorly documented, despite their close proximity. This must be the smallest vessel I’ve used to access an island in 30 years of survey. Learning more of White-faced Storm-petrel.

Black and white Sooty Tern -in defensive posture- stand within dry herbage at nesting colony

Common Noddy tern in defensive mode having just walked off an egg at its nest. On a boulder strewn path.

Two grey noddies in alerted stance with one vocalising on a grey boulder near former nest site

Black Noddy tern being held in hand with green vegetation in background.

Last weeks’ breeding noddy-terns of Phillip Island, Norfolk: Sooty; Common; Grey; Black. Approach/handled under permits. #SuperSeabirdSunday#Seabirds

Biggest issue in these palm forests for disturbance of FFSW is burrow collapse. Max 3.5m depth and little/no ground cover to hold substrate together. A shearwater and need to excavate means before egg laying, the air is alive here with sand plumes!

Good point. It depends. When working on a species, low white light to navigate-better depth perception for moving quickly- and red to target-pick up- specific birds. These birds weren‘t alarmed as I’m moving quickly. Was actually passing thru on gecko surveys where white is needed for eye-shine.

A good news #Seabirds story for your feed. Got to love Phillip Island off Norfolk- South Pacific. It keeps turning up surprises!

After documenting an expanding Flesh-footed Shearwater population on Phillip off Norfolk last month, it was delightful to walk through the 10,000 burrow-strong Clear Place colony on Lord Howe last week. #SuperSeabirdSunday

Surveying Lord Howe geckos between the two mountains here, showcased this year’s production of Providence Petrel fledglings- some still needing a good preen. #SuperSeabirdSunday#Seabirds

A good news story after almost 10 years of working towards a local population recovery: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
#Seabirds

A late offering for #SuperSeabirdSunday a male Kermadec Petrel has his partner drop back into the nest site. First meet-up after 5 months apart at sea.

Providence Petrel defending its burrow to all comers at the world’s 2nd only breeding island, Red Knoll, Phillip Island Norfolk. #SuperSeabirdSunday#Seabirds🪶

Placid Little Shearwater on the forest floor of Phillip Island, Norfolk. #SuperSeabirdSunday#Seabirds🪶

Something to get you thinking…
worldseabirdunion.org/world-seabir...
#Seabirds

Yellow-legged gulls, looking statuesque (with other statues) on a Roman era bridge over the Tiber, Rome. #SuperSeabirdSunday will be whatever I come across in Europe for the next two months. Got to love #Seabirds🪶

No chocolate eggs but a pair of freshly hatched Little Penguin chicks from late last season. #SuperSeabirdSunday🪶

Australasian Seabird Groups Pacific Travel Grant enabled NGO presenters to share stories of seabird conservation successes and challenges at the 1st ever gathering in Auckland New Zealand as part of 2025 Oceania Seabirds. Inspiring & sobering so much yet to be started. #Pacificseabirds#Seabirds🪶

Welcome slide image for a conference on seabirds in Auckland New Zealand

Downtown Auckland New Zealand with image taken from the perspective of high in a city apartment, but still with a Red-billed gull (circled) flying down at street level

A Samoan speaker delivering an address from a lecture podium

A Cook Islander speaker delivering an address from a lecture podium

A conference in Auckland New Zealand this week brings together Pacific seabird people from research, management and government to speak, listen and have hands-on experiences with regional experts to inspire and encourage connections and commitment for their conservation. #Pacificseabirds #Seabirds🪶

A peculiar male petrel (and Storm-petrel) habit is the courtship growl- I’ve often heard it from burrows but didn’t realise it involved inflation of the throat. Some species can have a very low register for their body size. Here a White-necked Petrel gives it his all. #SuperSeabirdSunday🪶