Last week, on the ferry crossing to Waigeo during our regular West Papua Vogelkop tour, I photographed an adult Nazca Booby. This was a completely unexpected first for Indonesia, New Guinea, and the south-west Pacific.

On our return to the mainland four days later, this same ferry crossing produced another (but more expected) confirmed first for West Papua, this being a Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel. We also photographed a near-certain Beck's Petrel (thanks fo Bob Flood for his comments), which would represent the first live sighting for West Papua after recent radiotracking results confirmed movement of this rare species into these same waters. Certainly some extremely productive ferry crossings!

Nazca Booby (Sula granti) offshore from Waigeo by Dani Lopez-Velasco