Seeing seabirds in Dunedin
Give me any chance to get out on the ocean to see seabirds and I’ll take it.
In Dunedin there’s a very accessible way to get out and experience some seabirds on the Otago peninsula, by booking a with tour by Monarch Wildlife. The tours are super affordable and in an hour you get the opportunity to see a range of seabirds, some of which are locally endemic.
This was my second tour with Monarch, I had been out on the boat before a few months earlier and really enjoyed it. I figured the experience would be quite different with the different season and it really was.
Upon boarding the boat we headed out to Taiaroa heads to see the seabirds. Straight away we saw our first Albatross of the trip, and beautiful banana-beaked Buller’s Mollymawk. I always love seeing these birds, there’s something so alluring about that bright bill!
The main attraction was of course the majestic Royal Albatross and it didn’t take long to spot ur first one. They were amazing to watch soaring over the sea and using the updraft to gain enough elevation to get them to the top of the cliffs. Some of them came so close to the boat which promoted some ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from us onboard.
It was quite surreal seeing Albatross against a backdrop of land, usually the only place to see seabirds is in the middle of the ocean. Tairaroa head is the only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross so it’s the only place in the main NZ islands to see them on land or even close to land.
A bronze-morph Otago Shag
The Otago Shag nesting colony
The Otago Shag nests were a spectacular sight, I’d never seen so many nesting birds in one spot! They were flying in with nesting material and doing all sort of courtship displays. Otago Shags have two colour morph, pied and bronze. They don’t seem to have a preference when choosing a mate, as the pairs seemed to be a happy mixture.
Oh and I saw dolphins! I really don’t need to say much about these creatures, they are just magical, so free, so full of energy and life. I was blown away watching the pod of around 50 leaping around the boat. They were so hard to photograph though so I only really managed this one photo!
A Dusky Dolphin leaping
As we approached Taiaroa head we saw plenty of NZ fur seals scattered on the rocks. There weren’t as many pups as there were on my last visit, but there were a few females looking typically sleepy and snooty as only they do best.
NZ fur seal
NZ fur seal
As we reached the lighthouse there were hundred of red-billed gulls circling over Taiaroa head, it made for a pretty amazing sight.
There were a few more bonus birds on the way back to shore, a beautiful Caspian Tern, and some Spotted Shags. I was pretty lucky to get this one photo of a spotted shag on the cliff face. The Otago Peninsula is such a hot spot for birdlife, especially seabirds. I have some more photos from along the main road, that will be whole other blog posts. My time in Dunedin has been very bird-rich and they were days I won’t be forgetting in a hurry. So many magical moments. Stay tuned for more bird pictures!
Caspian Tern in flight
Spotted Shag