Western Pacific Odyssey (Part 5) - North to Japanese Waters

On the 5th April, we sailed relatively close to Bougainville to the east, whilst heading in a ENE trajectory for New Ireland. Halfway through the day we were due to cross an incredibly deep oceanic trench, but sadly no cetaceans were encountered, so it was a case of building up the adrenaline for our time off the coast of New Ireland - home to the Beck's Petrel! 

Back in the early days when I was a trainee bird-ringer at Whitbread Hollow, I distinctly remember John Cooper approaching me with a CD of images from his recent WPO trip, a CD that he kindly gave to me. Being ever inquisitive, I asked John what his main target was - an instant reply was Beck's Petrel. It was this species that was to stick with me for many years, reading about its history and taking interest in sightings year after year on this particular expedition. It was therefore a major target for myself, and with only one afternoon/evening to find this once lost petrel, it was fair to say the mood was tense on the outer decks. 

The birding was quiet until mid-afternoon when we entered New Ireland waters. Two Eden's Whales (otherwise known as Bryde's, but a different race here) cruised past and a few Tahiti Petrels were spotted, fooling those who were unprepared for how distinct the Beck's Petrel supposedly is. There appeared to be thousands of birds off to the horizon, mainly Black Noddy, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a few White Terns. Then, eventually, a few sharp eyes picked out a Pseudobulweri petrel with distinctly faster wingbeats than Tahiti Petrel and overall a different jiss... this was a Beck's Petrel - a species lost for nearly 80 years until it was rediscovered in 2007. Over the next few hours, several more Beck's were found, all interestingly heading for Ambitle Island. Unfortunately, neither of the birds came close enough to get a decent photo, but some good scope views were had... mission accomplished.

Red-footed Booby

Eden's Whale

Long-tailed Skua

Beck's Petrel

The following few days before entering Japan's southern islands were relatively quiet, as we crossed the Equator line and headed across the Mariana Trench and towards the North Mariana Islands. Here, a peculiar petrel was on the water and failed to move as it sat perplexed. Its identity was a mystery, even to those experts onboard, and as it didn't fly one bit (bird flu perhaps?) it was frustrating to say the least. I personally thought it was a Pheonix Petrel, but the general consensus pointed towards a Beck's Petrel. A pod of False Killer Whales also moved through and a few Spinner Dolphins also went by.

petrel sp.

False Killer Whale - closely resembling Melon-headed Whale,
the lack of broad base to the dorsal fin,
very long body and lack of ridge on head,as well as a
strong visual of the blow, means False Killer Whale is the only option.

On one of the evenings we made an oil slick of Matsudaira's Storm-petrels. which worked wonders, but a Band-rumped Storm-petrel failed to come much closer. As we progressed towards Japanese waters, our final new Pterodroma petrel of the voyage made constant appearances and became common as we steamed north, these being the ultra smart Bonin Petrel. Another petrel which I'd only seen in European waters previous was the Bulwer's Petrel, with good numbers seen on a few days before Japan.

Bannerman's Shearwater

Bonin Petrel

Matsudaira's Storm Petrel

My usual posture in the tropics.
Next to me is Barry Reed and one over is Denzil Morgan,
a man close to reaching 10,000 bird species seen worldwide!!

Crossing the Equator

Umbrellas were a must to keep out of the sun

My next post will be the final one of the voyage, featuring some truly mega seabirds, highlights amongst the Bonin Islands, before finally setting foot off the ship in Yokohama Harbour.

Masked Booby

Red-footed Booby

Brown Booby