Last prions released at Foxton

The last 20 broad-billed prions that were rescued and rehabilitated after having been blown onshore have been successfully released at Foxton Beach.

The birds, which nest on islands off New Zealand’s south coast, were caught in a major storm in July. Thousands of them were blown ashore in a phenomenon known as a seabird wreck.

Massey’s Wildlife Health Centre rehabilitated hundreds of birds from around the region, and last week more birds were brought from Wellington Zoo.

Wildlife veterinarian Micah Jensen says that the University and Wellington Zoo work closely together. “We managed to get the wash working well with a different detergent and soft water to clean the birds so Massey offered to bring the zoo’s remaining birds here.”

The prions must be completely waterproof before they are released. “Both staff and volunteers here at Massey and at Wellington Zoo have worked tirelessly to help the birds recover,” Ms Jensen says. “We have released some beautifully waterproof birds and learned some valuable skills so that we will be more prepared for whatever comes our way in the future. For example if there is an oil spill in New Zealand.”

The prions will also make up a part of Ms Jensen’s Master’s thesis. “My research is on the diet of seabirds for colony translocations,” she says. “Usually I would have to go to offshore islands to get this kind of data, but it literally turned up on our doorstep here.”

The Foxton Coastguard also volunteered its boat on Saturday and took Ms Jensen and the 20 birds five kilometres offshore for the release, which went without a hitch.

Wildlife veterinarian Dr Brett Gartrell will present a lecture in Palmerston North about the wreck of broad-billed prions. He will discuss the phenomenon of wrecks, the response options that are available in such a situation and why they attempted to rehabilitate such a common species.

The lecture, at Forest and Bird’s September meeting, begins at 7.30pm tonight at Te Manawa.