27/02/09 Lesser frigatebird seen on the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland

On 27/02/09 Brett Rathe - skipper of the charter boat Assassin - took this photo of a female lesser frigatebird. Nice shot Brett! Worth keeping an eye out as this bird could still be a round for a few weeks.

Earlier in the year Brett also snapped these shots of a sooty tern out to the north of Great Barrier Island in the outer Hauraki Gulf. Neither of these birds a common for the mainland of New Zealand, and it just shows what you can find when you are out there regularly and know your birds. Cheers Brett.