I have been banding prion chicks and parents since 2000 at a cliff ledge colony near Tunnel Beach Dunedin since 2000. More than 800 birds have been banded, about half in each class of age. A significant number are recovvered each year when they return to the colony. This year I requested permission from DOC to make overnight visits to Green Island Nature Reserve to see if any of the birds banded at the cliff colony were present on the island seven kilometres away.
I have made two visits, 2 Sept and 25 Sept 2008. On the first visit I checked 73 prions and found one to be banded. On the next visit Jacinda Amey, Hamish McFarlane and I checked 1356 prions and found one banded. Both birds were birds that had been brought into the DOC office from urban locations in the fledging season (late Jan 04, early Feb 05) and passed onto me for one supplementary feed of sardines, banding and release. I have released six birds in this way between 2000 and 2006. All are presumed to be fledglings that went astray. These are the first records of any of those birds.
I have generally been quite sceptical about the survival prospects of wild birds that come into human hands and are released, but I have to say that resighting two of six birds is about average for resighting chicks at the cliff colony.
I intend to make further visits to the island in the coming year.
Graeme
