Nearshore sightings of seabirds off the coast of Otago and Canterbury, New Zealand

Coastal and nearshore habitats are important to all seabird species. Understanding the distribution of seabirds in these environments can aid in their conservation. Despite the importance of coastal habitat, data collection for seabird species at sea is often difficult and resource intensive. Here, we take advantage of an established marine mammal surveying programme to collect distribution data for seabird species encountered in nearshore habitat. We surveyed seabird communities over 76 days in four locations along the southeast coast of New Zealand's South Island; Dunedin, Moeraki, Timaru, and Banks Peninsula. We present observations of seabird species presence in these locations, as well as, a brief assessment of the counting techniques used during the study. In addition, we summarise the seabird numbers in relation to the marine mammal surveys (i.e. the presence and absence of dolphins). We aim to show the value of opportunistic data collection, while contributing to baseline species distribution knowledge.