September 21: GP and the seal pup

Such is life on a small island, that everyone has to eat, and nothing is wasted.

A dead seal pup makes a meal for a Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

NGP eating a seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Guarding the meal. Photo: Lional Whitehorn

September 17: Southern Giant Petrel feeding on a bull seal

When the Giant Petrels feed on the carcasses of seals, they make a hole in the skin, and then poke their entire heads down inside the carcass. Their blood soaked plumage is a striking sight particularly  on the lighter coloured Northern Giant Petrels and the white Southern Giant Petrels.  Carcasses of dead seals though so not lay around long. The Giant Petrels and Skuas feed voraciously upon them, leaving little more than a deflated skin behind.

Northern Giant Petrel after a feed. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Northern Giant Petrel dripping with seal blood. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Northern Giant Petrel feeding on a seal. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 16: Northern Giant Petrel

A Northern Giant Petrel feeding on a carcass.

Northern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

NGP feeding on a carcass on the beach. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 7: More Northern Giant Petrels....

Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli on a nest. Photo: Jacque Comery

The NGP condominium complex. Seven birds were nested in this one rock stack. Photo: Jacque Comery

NGP nests with a lovely tussock veranda. Photo: Jacque Comery

September 4: Northern Giant Petrel nests

The opportunity arose to assist the Tasparks Rangers with the annual Northern Giant Petrel census and nest marking. We set out over two days through snow squalls and wind, to scour the north-west featherbed, looking for every bird on a nest we could see. The Rangers would then carefully approach the nest and check if the bird had a band on its leg, and confirm that it was sitting on an egg. We then GPS logged the location of the nest so that the summer scientists can come through and check on the success rate of incubation, and also band the chicks. We searched  the tussocks and rock stacks, usually finding the  birds nesting up in close to tussock mounds, or rocks. The NGPs Macronectes halli, are a flighty bird, and their drive to not abandon their nest upon the approach of humans was strong, and quite incredible to witness. If the birds flee the nest there is a chance that Skuas will swoop in and eat the eggs. Much stealth was used in sneaking up on the nest, but care also had to be taken not to startle the birds either.
The opportunity to see these huge birds on nests was a wonderful privilege. Their beautiful blue eyes and soft grey plumage will stay etched in my memories.

NGP on a nest. Photo: Jacque Comery

Northern giant petrel on a nest tucked in to a rock ledge. Photo: Jacque Comery

An interesting nest site for this NGP. Photo: Jacque Comery