MYSTERY BIRD REMAINS UFO SAY CHRISTCHRCH EXPEDITIONERS 21 April 2010, Christchurch
The Spirit of Enderby is currently in the South Pacific enroute to Japan on an exploration of pelagic birds. The expedition route heads through coastal New Caledonia where in 2008 a mystery bird was sighted and assumed to be the New Zealand Storm Petrel. Last week on the same latitude the mystery bird was seen again and on board Orthinologist for Heritage Expeditions, Chris Collins believes this mystery bird is not the New Zealand Storm Petrel. The elusive bird has proved difficult to identify, its jizz wasn’t typical of the New Zealand Storm Petrel and it was flying in close association with a Wilson’s Storm Petrel, but presenting as a larger bird than the Wilson’s. It is unlikely the mystery bird is of unknown taxa. The 2008 sighting ignited worldwide interest and photos and articles were published in British magazine “Birding World”.
The sighted birds show inconsistencies with all known taxa of storm petrel Fanatical birders will remember the rediscovery of the New Zealand Storm Petrel off the coast of Auckland and will know it’s wintering grounds remain undiscovered, giving us an indication other localized storm-petrel species exist for discovery in isolated parts of the world.
Heritage Expeditions will be operating the Western Pacific Odyssey in 2011 and will attempt sightings of this mystery petrel again.