The Pyramid (Tarakoikoia) is a mighty rise of rock at the southern end of the Chatham Islands. It’s classified as an Important Bird Area because it’s the only place in the world that the Chatham albatross currently breeds. Having just a single colony makes the species extremely vulnerable to weather events. The Taiko Trust is currently translocating chicks to a predator-free fenced site on the main Chatham Island, in the hopes of establishing a new breeding colony.

Chatham albatross are gorgeous birds with dark blue-grey heads and vibrant yellow beaks. Once lumped in the ‘Shy albatross’ complex with Salvin’s, White-capped, and Shy albatross, they’ve now all been separated out and are each considered distinct species. Outside of the breeding season, Chatham albatross spend their time off the coast of Peru and Chile, where they are at risk of being caught in long-line fisheries operations.

The sea was rolling heavily as we reached the Chatham Islands, coming up towards the Pyramid around mid-morning. Swells hurled themselves against the rock, exploding into massive arcs of foaming spray. We circled the Pyramid twice, accompanied by hundreds of seabirds enjoying the gale. New Zealand Fur seals bobbed in the water around the ship, and little flocks of White-fronted terns plunged in to feed as well. Like our time at the Bounties, it was a chaos of wings and water, and I spent my time bracing against the movement of the ship to take photos, even as we headed off towards Rangatira and the shelter of Pitt Island. Down on the stern, the swells would loom overhead and obscure the Pyramid behind a wall of water, little Cape petrels skimming over the tops to follow the ship.   

It was an amazing morning for bird photography! The day only got better, and I ended up seeing 7 new species of bird by the end of the evening. Pretty fantastic!