Farewell Spit is home to the South Island’s largest gannet colony. In 1983 about 70 pairs of gannets established nests on shelly banks here at the north-west tip of the South Island. The location can be hazardous for gannet chicks, as their nests are only a few metres above normal high-tide level. During a severe storm in January 1997, waves washed away most of the chicks on their nests. However, the colony survived and by 2000 it numbered between 2,000 and 3,000 adult birds.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Department of Conservation
Reference:
PC 140037
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