The Westland Petrel is a small pelagic bird which breeds during the austral winter in the densely forested hills of the South Island's West Coast of New Zealand.

The night has fallen over the seabird colony. The silence is only disrupted by the sound of the remote waves of the Tasman Sea, 4km away. The first petrels are coming back from their oceanic travels. Like the other Procellaridae, these petrels come back to shore only for breeding in deep burrows. The rain forest covers the colony and the petrels have no other choice than let themselves fall through the canopy to access to their burrows... Sometimes, some are trapped in the branches and die.

West Coast, New Zealand
19/07/03 18H10LO
Rode NT4 + homebrewed preamp + Aiwa DAT recorder

Comments

• 
  Gretchen_Miller 3 years, 3 months ago

  That's a stunning recording. Came across it looking for a southern giant petrel. Very evocative, especially with your story. Thank you.
• 
  zybil 9 years, 3 months ago

  thanks, It's deep and beuatiful!

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