Balls Pyramid Seabird and Sightseeing Tour

The Balls Pyramid Seabird and Sightseeing Tour is Lord Howe Island's primary offshore pelagic birding product — a dedicated boat trip aboard the MV Noctiluca, an 8-metre fibreglass vessel skippered by Jack Shick of Sea to Summit Expeditions, running south-east across the deep Tasman Sea to Balls Pyramid. Balls Pyramid is the world's tallest and most isolated volcanic sea stack: a sheer 562-metre monolith of eroded shield volcano rising vertically from 700 metres of open ocean, approximately 23 kilometres south-east of Lord Howe Island's lagoon. It is one of the most dramatic marine landmarks in the Pacific and supports its own distinct seabird colonies in addition to the famous Lord Howe Island Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis), rediscovered on its precipitous cliffs in 2001.

Offshore chumming with berley (fish offal) is deployed during the trip to draw seabirds alongside the vessel — a technique established in Lord Howe Island waters since at least 2005 and the method by which the target species of this tour are most reliably observed at close range. The berley slick and the proximity of Balls Pyramid's breeding colonies combine to concentrate birds that would otherwise be scattered over vast areas of open Tasman Sea.

The signature target is the Providence Petrel (Pterodroma solandri), a large, dark-brown gadfly petrel whose global population is centred almost entirely on Lord Howe Island, where approximately 32,000 pairs breed on the summit plateau — making LHI the most important site in the world for this near-endemic species. Providence Petrel was hunted nearly to extinction by early 19th-century settlers (the species was called the "flying sheep" for its tameness), and LHI's strict biosecurity and predator-control programmes have driven a dramatic recovery. The birds commute between the summit nesting grounds and the open Tasman Sea, making them visible both near the island and during the transit to Balls Pyramid. Kermadec Petrel (Pterodroma neglecta), which breeds on Balls Pyramid in small numbers, is rarely seen from land on Lord Howe Island and the offshore trip is effectively the primary opportunity to encounter it; the pale, intermediate, and dark morphs all occur. White-bellied Storm-Petrel (Fregetta grallaria) breeds on both Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid and is one of the world's rarest storm-petrels; it responds well to berley and is regularly seen alongside the vessel — making this one of the most accessible sites globally for the species.

Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes) is the most numerous chum-responder and assembles readily at the berley slick in large numbers; it breeds on Lord Howe Island and disperses across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) breeds on Lord Howe Island and is common on the transit, often flying directly alongside the boat. Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica) is abundant throughout the year as a breeder on the island. Grey Ternlet (Procelsterna cerulea), a pale blue-grey noddy of the Tropical Pacific, breeds on Balls Pyramid's ledges and represents its southern limit; it is a delicate and distinctive bird seen close to the stack. Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) breeds on both Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid and is regularly encountered during the approach and near the sea stack itself. Masked Booby and Brown Booby are present year-round.

In austral winter (June–September), the pelagic composition shifts as subantarctic and Southern Ocean tubenoses move into Tasman Sea waters: Black-browed Albatross, Buller's Albatross, and Shy Albatross are all possible from the vessel, adding a substantial large-albatross dimension to the offshore crossing. Occasional rarities in the broader LHI pelagic zone have included Herald Petrel, Soft-plumaged Petrel, and vagrant storm-petrel species.

Lord Howe Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site approximately 600 kilometres east-north-east of Port Macquarie, accessible by twice-weekly flights from Sydney and Brisbane. The island has a strict visitor cap of 400 persons at any one time, maintaining the ecological integrity that supports its remarkable seabird populations. Sea to Summit Expeditions is the principal operator for the Balls Pyramid crossing; the trip is booked directly through lordhoweislandtours.net or by contacting Jack Shick at [email protected] or +61 2 6563 2218. Ian Hutton OAM, resident naturalist and author of the comprehensive Lord Howe Island bird guide, sometimes joins trips and separately leads week-long guided birding tours of the island in March and November that incorporate offshore boat sessions; his tours are run through lordhowe-tours.com.au. Zoothera Birding (zootherabirding.com) also operates guided Lord Howe Island birding tours led by Rohan Clarke that include offshore pelagic time.