 Since 2008 the Australasian Seabird Group has been carrying out re-surveys on offshore islands in New South Wales. ASG members that have the relevant experience are given first preference on any trip, however surveys are open to all Birds Australia members. Experience in biodiversity surveys, in-hand seabird identification and a good fitness level are preferred.
Islands already surveyed include:
- Brush Island (Oct-Dec 2008)
- Broughton Island (Oct-Dec 2009)
- Offshore islands of Lord Howe Island: Roach Island, Tenth of June, South Island, Sugarloaf Island, Soldiers Cap Islet, Muttonbird Island and Blackburn Island (Dec 2009, Feb and May 2010)
 Surveys for 2010 include the outer islands of the Broughton group (Little Broughton, North, Inner and Looking Glass Islands). Potential survey islands for 2011 will include Bowen Island in Jervis Bay.
Surveys off Port Stephens NSW
In December 2009, five ASG members joined a team of Department of Environment, Climage Change & Water staff to survey NSW's largest inshore island, Broughton Island. This survey was supported by the Area Office of NPWS and the Threatened Fauna Ecology Unit (TFEU) of DECCW. Earlier in the year, rabbits and rats were eradicated from the island (a definite 'all-clear' will not be declared for another two years), so it was imperative that a thorough survey be conducted to underline the seabird populations that had survived on the island until the pest species were removed. Previously, the main island provided breeding grounds for three species of shearwater, but White-faced Storm-Petrels were lost to rats  over 80 years ago.
Determining the who, what and where of seabirds on a 122 ha island in three days was a challenge, necessitating long days and night work. The results showed that while Broughton Island contains some of the highest nesting densities for Wedge-tailed Shearwaters anywhere in NSW (up to 0.75 burrows/m sq.) it seems to have lost Sooty Shearwaters from its shores. Searches at night also failed to locate White-faced Storm-Petrels, but with rats only recently gone from here perhaps that was asking too much.
One extraordinary highlight was confirmation of the threatened Gould’s Petrel breeding on the  island. A single bird sitting on an egg was located in a rock-scree slope below the island's highest peak. This discovery makes only three islands in the world where this vulnerable sub-species can be found. With successful rodent eradication, it is hoped that the Gould's Petrel population will expand as well as an eventual return of storm-petrels to the island. Sweeping changes to the vegetation on the island are also expected in the coming decades.
Surveys off Lord Howe Island, South Pacific
An experienced ASG survey team was assembled for the surveys of the offshore islands around Lord Howe Island. Many of these islands have never been formally surveyed for seabirds, vegetation and/or the presence of pest species. Overnight stays, on at least three islands, and  unpredictable sea conditions provided particular challenges for the survey team. Of the three weeks of survey time available, a total of only one week was actually spent on the offshore islands. These surveys were intense and difficult, with access to some of these islands requiring tricky boat landings and scrambles up exposed rocky slopes. The results were rewarding with increased seabird species lists for some islands, confirmation that rodents have not yet breached the security that open ocean provides, and new information on some of the threatened birds that breed here.
Time spent on the main island (1500 ha) was not in vain as a thorough survey was made of the breeding areas of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, necessitating the coverage of some 50% of the  island's coastline. Combining this with the surveys of all of the offshore islands will allow the first comprehensive view of the status of species here. The island group's population of Masked Boobies will be similarly treated. The final survey also discovered a new breeding location of Providence Petrel on the main island outside the southern mountains. Additionally, the breeding success of White-bellied Storm-Petrels and the provisioning success of Wedge-tailed Shearwater chicks will form outcomes of the 2009/10 surveys.
This research and monitoring work is sponsored by the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Recovery implementation program and supported by TFEU and the Lord Howe Island Board.
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