Albatross encounters

Today (Tuesday), I took a boat trip from Kaikoura to view the albatrosses and other seabirds. In total, in the 2 hours, we saw 8 different species of albatross, including 3 Royal Albatross and 8 Wandering Albatross, 5 species of petrels, 4 species of shearwaters (including over 150 Hutton's Shearwater who nest in the surrounding mountains in burrows and are very rare) and a number of gulls and terns.  It was fantastic to be so close you could almost touch them as we fed them from the back of the boat.  One paid its thanks, however, by messing on me.....great!!!

Giant Petrels and albatross following boat

Young Black Browed albatross