#scienceoutside

After having to cancel research trips because of lockdown, it was great to get back to Tāwharanui and check on the ōi/grey-faced petrels on Monday! These birds and I have a long history - they were the first birds I studied and they hold a very special place in my heart. This photo is from an early research tip to the Mokohinau islands a few years ago when we did a health-check of the population out there.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ All bird handling is done under appropriate Wildlife Act permits. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ #birdventurenz #seabird #petrelhead #birdventure #birdsofaotearoa #nz_birds #islandlife #wildernessculture #ocean #conservationphotography #research #scienceoutside #womeninstem #fieldbiology #birdsofinstagram #bird_brilliance #scientist #newzealand #aotearoa #bird_lovers_daily #bird_captures #bird_lovers #birds_adored #discover_earth #haurakigulf #seachange #seabirdscience #fieldbiologist #wildlifeconservation #conservationbiology https://www.instagram.com/p/CAtP0L-JSo0/?igshid=161vddpr5r9aq

Long hot days hanging out with tākapu chicks waiting for their parents to come back. Retrieving GPS loggers is an hours game - the longer you're out there, the more likely you are to get the birds back! ⠀ ⠀ #seabirdscience #fieldbiology #aotearoa #womeninstem #scienceoutside #conservationphotography #conservation #ornithology #seabird #your_best_birds #biology #birds_brilliance #discover_earth #feathered_perfection #nature_perfection #birdstagram #birds_of_instagram #naure_photographers #bird_lovers_daily #wildearth #nzbirds #olympustg5 #instagood #newzealandbirds #birdphotography #nuts_about_birds #eye_spy_birds #birds_adored #planetbirds #bestbirdshots (at Gannet Rock) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsgHs5Nhch0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=rt42hx72sfgx

Launching into the new year! I don't make resolutions, but I do make goals. One of my photography-related goals this year is to document more of the day-to-day life of our fieldwork trips, not just the work and the birds. I'd like to share more of the behind-the-scenes of the science we get up to, so expect some of that over the coming months! But don't worry - birds are my one true love and there'll be plenty of them as well.⠀ ⠀ Rako Buller's shearwater - Tawhiti Rahi, 2018.⠀ ⠀ #newyear #2019goals #birdventurenz #aotearoa #poorknightsislands #your_best_birds #seabird #shearwater #launch #goals #flight #scienceoutside #womeninstem #fieldbiology #seabirdscience #biologist #newzealand #fieldwork #dawn #sunrise #escape #adventureisoutthere #inthewild #keepitwild #nzbirds #naturesbest #birds_brilliance #planetbirds #conservationphotography #seabirdstory https://www.instagram.com/p/BsEHy9_hyCf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eel49kefikeo

Little helper! I've just spent a few days on Tawhiti Rahi, Poor Knights islands, checking burrow occupancy of this season's crop of rako Buller's shearwater chicks. We'll be doing some GPS tracking of their parents next month, so we need to know which burrows will be visited regularly enough so that we can get the devices back! ⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ #seabirdscience #birdevnturenz #womeninstem #fieldbiology #scienceoutside #biologistlife #seabird #shearwater #poorknights #scientistlife #cutechick #babybird #discover_earth #fieldbiologist #fieldworkphotos #your_best_birds #ornithology #birdsofinstagram #biology #research #scientist #wilderness #islandlife #fujix100s #conservationphotography #liveforthestory #birds_ilife #birdshots #getoutside #adventure⁣⠀ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuM3qlrguwD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10fwr5hmvdv8d

Weather is keeping us from Horuhoru rock today, so we're taking the day off! I'm going through photos from the past two few weeks, having spent time out at two tākapu colonies in the Hauraki Gulf. One - Mahuki - seems to be increasing in size, while Horuhoru looks to be declining. We've been gathering samples to study the diet of the birds at each colony, as well as tracking their foraging trips using GPS to see how they're using the marine environment. ⠀ It's all part of a bigger project looking at how a number of different seabird species use the Hauraki Gulf to feed, particularly their reliance on fish schools and species that are targeted by commercial fisheries. We have an extremely productive marine environment here - but it's not enough to sustain seabird populations as well as high levels of harvesting for human use. By highlighting the importance of these resources for our local seabirds, we hope to make a push for more sustainable practices in the Hauraki Gulf, to restore the ecosystems and protect their future. ⠀ ⠀ #conservationphotography #seabirdscience #womeninstem #fieldbiology #scienceoutside #marinescience #aotearoa #seachange #your_best_birds #discoverearth #goldenhour #conservation #nzbirds #birds_adored #birds_brilliance #sustainability #ig_discover_birdslife #wildnz #planetbirds #birds_daily #bird_lovers_daily #birdstagram #nuts_about_birds #birdsonearth #instabird #bestbirdshots #birdwatching #best_birds_of_ig #eye_spy_birds #seabird https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsl5W3lBn43/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hgn5qibqdxjd

Working long hot days is making me very keen to start night work again. Cool air, stars in the sky... the only downside is the disrupted sleep patterns! Hopefully we'll be heading out to the Mokohinau islands soon to do more #seabirdscience. It's the off-season for fluttering shearwaters so we'll dig in some new nest boxes for them as well. ⠀ ⠀ #womeninstem #conservationphotography #fieldbiology #fieldbiologist #stargazing #scientistlife #islandlife #haurakigulf #mokohinauislands #glow #nightlife #stars #scienceoutside #aotearoa #newzealand #inthewild #adventuretime #nightwork #instgood #wilderness #hut #nikonnz #biologist #ornithology https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsi1kb7hsf2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ka8urhhmnqr9

I'm back from that most magical of places - Taiko Camp on Chatham Island. It's been two and a half weeks of long nights, long days, and many birds! I'll post more over the next few days, but here's me receiving a love-bite from a wee Taiko who wasn't interested in having his wing length measured. 📷 Chris Gaskin #seabirdscience #taikocamp #chathamsisland #birdsofinstagram #womeninstem #fieldbiology #scienceoutside #seabird #petrelhead #yearofthebird #taiko #fieldwork #biologist #ornithology #endangeredspecies #conservationphotography #adventure #wilderness #conservationist #wanderwonder #biteme #birdstagram #scientistlife #islandlife #research (at Chatham Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqIrY8whm6m/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ro0lv8gw6dmk

This special place has been home for the past few weeks - and nights like this one have been crap, because we need bad weather to catch Taiko! Seabirds tend to come in on dark, stormy nights - not lovely clear astrophotography ones. ⠀ ⠀ #seabirdscience #astrophotography #taikocamp #chathamisland #fieldbiology #scienceoutside #starrynight #adventure @chatham_taiko_trust #fieldwork #nocturnal #womeninstem #astro #islandlife #endangeredspecies #conservationbiology #scientistlife #research #biologist #petrelhead #nightlife #whatwedointheshadows #nightpix #milkyway #wanderwonder #wildnz (at Chatham Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqP6lgOBQ0_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=78h1nlmsu6ua