The Brisbane Seabird Study Group covers from Fraser Island to the north (25 degrees South) down to the QLD/NSW border (28 degrees 10 minutes South) and out to sea to about 155 degrees East. This is a sub-tropical zone influenced primarily by the warm north/south flowing East Australian Current but in the winter months more southerly species range up with the cooler water pushing the weaker flowing warm current wider.

The Tahiti Petrel is probably our bread & butter bird and has been sighted in 11 months of the year July excepted (from Southport & Brisbane). In fact it is the second most prolific species of petrel locally. Up until April 1995 we ran our trips out from Brisbane but since then have conducted our trips out of Sea World on the Gold Coast (south of Brisbane). Below is the total list of seabirds sighted (62) from Southport trips since April 1995, (those seen outside the Seaway).

Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus
Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica
Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli
White-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta grallaria
Cape Petrel Daption capense
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata
Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
Providence Petrel Pterodroma solandri
Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Kermadec Petrel Pterodroma neglecta
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Herald Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel
White-necked Petrel Pterodroma cervicalis
Great Skua Catharacta skua
Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
Gould's Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera
Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
Antarctic Prion Pachyptila desolata
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicauda
Slender-billed Prion Pachyptila belcheri
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica
Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas
Lesser-crested Tern Sterna bengalensis
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus
Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri
White-fronted Tern Sterna striata
Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes
Common Tern Sterna hirundo
Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia
Little Tern Sterna albifrons
Hutton's Shearwater Puffinus huttoni
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus
Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans
Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophrys
White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucoptera
Buller's Albatross Diomedea bulleri
Common Noddy Anous stolidus
Shy Albatross Diomedea cauta
Black Noddy Anous minutus
Yellow-nosed Albatross Diomedea chlororhynchos
Grey Ternlet Procelsterna cerulea
Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
White Tern Gygis alba

This list does not represent all the seabird species recorded in the region and our pelagic list is ever expanding, as of course, is our knowledge of how our local waters are being utilised by seabirds, particularly by Procellariiformes. The taxonomy followed is that of Christidis & Boles 1994 Monogram 2, as more field ID data comes to hand from SOSSA the 'new' Albatross taxonomy will be looked at more closely by our Queensland sightings committee.