PORT HADLOCK — That science and media have explored nearly every corner of the world makes Peter Harrison’s discovery of a new species of seabird all the more remarkable.
“There are new species of birds that are discovered, but they are usually in some obscure part of the rainforest, so it’s really unusual that we found this bird in plain sight in a populated area,” Harrison said Tuesday.
After a lengthy expedition, Harrison on Feb. 20 confirmed the existence of a new species of storm petrel, which weighs about three grams — the size of a small sparrow — in the coastal town of Puerto Montt, Chile.
The date of the discovery is coincidentally the same date in 2009 when Harrison caught a world-record steelhead trout in the Hoh River.
The 64-year-old Port Hadlock man wrote “Seabirds, an Identification Guide,” the defining book on the topic, and is at work on a follow-up, due for publication in 2016, in which the newly discovered bird will be included.
Harrison, who usually spends five months out of every year on explorations, is now working at home completing the paperwork on his new discovery.
Once completed, Harrison will announce the name for the new bird, which he said he has already chosen.
The new species is unique for its markings, which are more distinctive and dramatic than other storm petrels, he said.
Its behavior is also unique. It swims underwater in order to collect its food rather than “walking” on the water’s surface.
Harrison has been aware of the species since 1983, he said. He had taken photographs of it in the intervening years but did not begin to pursue the discovery in earnest until 2009 after seeing several inconclusive pictures taken by a team of ornithologists.
Harrison assembled his own team and traveled to Chile this winter, using newly developed “net gun” technology that shoots fine netting into the air in order to capture the birds.
After taking photographs, feather samples and blood tests, the group was able to determine the birds’ status as a unique species, rather than as a subset of an existing species.
The expedition had a rocky start, with rough weather and none of the birds in sight, even though they had been visible in the same area for several years.
The crew worked patiently and soon drew about 300 birds with a specialized lure, including salmon parts in netting that left a trail on the ocean, Harrison said.
The expedition eventually captured and released a dozen of the birds, which doubled the number of storm petrels ever captured.
“There are no storm petrels in captivity because their diet is so specialized, and it is impossible to feed them,” Harrison said.
“You can keep a songbird because they live on seeds. If you captured a petrel, you would need to catch specific insects one at a time.”
The testing, which allowed the extraction of the birds’ DNA, will allow the scientists to learn more about the new species.
Harrison said that at one time, scientists captured and dissected animals in order to learn about a species, but that is no longer done “because that was the Victorian way to learn about science.”
Aside from the scientific buzz created by the new discovery, Harrison expects it will have an economic effect on the small Chilean community.
“This is a big deal for birdwatchers,” he said.
“Right now, I can guarantee that birdwatchers around the world are planning a trip to Puerto Montt so they can catch a look at the new storm petrel.”
Harrison lives on a 30-acre spread with his wife, Shirley Metz, who in 1989 was the first woman — and one of the first Americans — to ski overland to the South Pole in a journey of some 800 miles.
The couple met in Antarctica and chose to live in the Pacific Northwest 21 years ago, settling in Port Hadlock.
They lived in a cabin on their land for the first nine years before building an open wooden structure that serves as both home and office.
Aside from their own projects, the couple run Zegrahm Expeditions, an educational travel company that runs tours to exotic locations throughout the world, including to Antarctica, Mongolia, India and the Azores.
The tours cost upward of $7,000, with the average participants older than 50, educated and affluent.
While business has seen a slight decline, the economy has had a minimal effect on the expedition business, they said.
“People still have the money to travel,” Harrison said.
“And on some of our expeditions where there are 100 people, 40 of them have traveled with us in the past.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie. bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
