King George Island is part of the South Shetland Island group and lies about 125 km from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.  Admiralty Bay lies on the southern coast of the island between Martins Head and Demay Point. The bay is one of the most surveyed areas in Antarctica with the Brazilian Antarctic Programme having monitored its seabirds since 1984.  A single ACAP-listed species breeds within Admiralty Bay, the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, on both the eastern and western shores of the bay.

The breeding site on the eastern entrance to the bay is at Vauréal Peak. This colony is located on gently sloping low cliffs, covered by mosses, lichens, scree and boulders.  Nests are constructed mainly of pebbles.  The most recent ground census undertaken marine mammals to utilize the area for breeding.  The area has been monitored since 1985 by Brazilian researchers from the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos.  In the austral summer of 2011/12 (on 28 November) the population size was 60 breeding pairs occupying an area of 0.3 ha.  Previously in 1978/79 113 occupied nests were counted, suggesting a decrease.  However, counts made since 2005 show the population has remained stable over the last decade.

Vauréal Peak falls within an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA No. 1) that includes the whole bay.

Southern Giant Petrels also breed on the western shore of Admiralty Bay where 10 nests were reported in 2004/05 within an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA No. 128), that falls within the ASMA.  It has also been designated as an Important Bird Area (West Admiralty Bay ANT046) by BirdLife International for its Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua population.  Within the ASPA entry is only allowed under permit and   “pedestrians should maintain the following minimum approach distances from wildlife, unless it is necessary to exceed these for purposes allowed for by the permit: ... Southern giant petrels – 50 m”.

A Southern Giant Petrel in Antarctica, photograph by Michael Dunn

With thanks to Patricia Pereira Serafini.

Selected literature:

ATCM 2014.  Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area No.1.  Admiralty Bay, King George Island.  XXXVII Final Report.  Measure 4 (2014) Annex.  pp. 227-276.

ATCM 2014.  Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No 128.  Western Shore of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands.  ATCM XXXVII Final Report.  Measure 4 (2014) Annex.  pp. 65-82.

Harris, C.M., Lorenz, K., Fishpool, L.D.C., Lascelles, B., Cooper, J., Coria, N.R., Croxall, J.P., Emmerson, L.M., Fijn, R., Fraser, W.L., Jouventin, P., LaRue, M.A., Le Maho, Y., Lynch, H.J., Naveen, R., Patterson-Fraser, D.L., Peter, H.-U., Poncet, S., Phillips, R.A., Southwell, C.J., van Franeker, J.A., Weimerskirch, H., Wienecke, B. & Woehler, E.J. 2015. Important Bird Areas in Antarctica 2015.  Cambridge: BirdLife International and Environmental Research & Assessment Ltd.  302 pp.

Patterson, D.L., Woehler, E.J., Croxall, J.P., Cooper, J., Poncet, S., Peter, H.-U., Hunter, S. & Fraser, M.W. 2008. Breeding distribution and population status of the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli and Southern Giant Petrel M. giganteus. Marine Ornithology 36: 115-124 & appendices.

Petry, M.V., Valls, F.C.L., de Souza Petersen, E., Krüger, L., da Cruz Piuco, R. & dos Santos, C R. 2016. Breeding sites and population of seabirds on Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Biology 39: 1343-1349.

Poncet, S. & Poncet, J. 2007.  Southern Ocean Cruising Second Edition.  Cambridge: Environmental Research & Assessment.  160 pp.

Sander, M., Carneiro, A.P.B., Balbao, T.C, Bays, S.R., Costa, E.S., Mascarello, N.E., Oliva, T.D. & Santos, C.R.D. 2005. Status and trends of Antarctic seabirds at Admiralty Bay, King George Island. Polarforschung 75: 145-150.

Maria Virginia Petry & Júlia Victória Grohmann Finger, Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil, 14 June 2017

NOTE: photographs of Admiralty Bay and its breeding Southern Giant Petrels are required. 

King George Island is part of the South Shetland Island group and lies about 125 km from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.  Turret Point is a formation of rocky stacks which forms the eastern limit of King George Bay on the south coast of King George Island.

 According to the most recent ground census made by Brazilian researchers from the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos in the austral summer of 2014/2015 (on 8 December), 58 Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus pairs bred at Turret Point.  Breeding grounds are located in three areas above low-lying cliffs close to the sea.

Southern Giant Petrels at Turret Point, photographs by Laura Lindenmeyer-Sousa

Tourist visits to the area are managed by a Visitor Site Guide document for Turret Point produced by the Antarctic Treaty System, which provides specific procedures to follow; the giant petrel breeding sites are closed to visitors with a 50-m precautionary distance.

With thanks to Patricia Pereira Serafini.

Selected literature:

Antarctic Treaty System 2014.  Turret Point Antarctic Treaty Visitor Site Guide. 2 pp.

Naveen, R. 1997.  The Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula.  Chevy Chase: Oceanites Inc.  129 pp.

Naveen, R. 2003. Compendium of Antarctic Peninsula Visitor Sites 2nd Edition.  A Report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Chevy Chase: Oceanites Inc.  381 pp.

Patterson, D.L., Woehler, E.J., Croxall, J.P., Cooper, J., Poncet, S., Peter, H.-U., Hunter, S. & Fraser, M.W. 2008. Breeding distribution and population status of the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli and Southern Giant Petrel M. giganteus. Marine Ornithology 36: 115-124 & appendices.

Poncet, S. & Poncet, J. 2007.  Southern Ocean Cruising Second Edition.  Cambridge: Environmental Research & Assessment.  160 pp.

Maria Virginia Petry & Júlia Victória Grohmann Finger, Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil, 13 June 2017

Timothee Zidat (Université de Montpellier, France) and colleagues write in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society on assortative mating in sympatrically breeding Cory’s Calonectris borealis and Scopoli's C. diomedea Shearwaters.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Reproductive isolation of avian species often extensively relies on mate choice. Several bird species have recently been shown to use chemical cues in mate choice, in addition to the well-studied visual and acoustic signals. The two former European subspecies of Cory’s shearwater have been recently afforded species status as Calonectris borealis and C. diomedea, but their level of reproductive isolation has not fully been evaluated and one previous study suggested that their nuclear genome is undifferentiated. The species differ in chemical labels (volatile compounds in uropygial gland secretions) in allopatry, but whether these differences are maintained in sympatry or not remains unclear. We sampled both species in a mixed colony in the Chafarinas Islands in order to test whether their nuclear genomes are truly undifferentiated and to study their level of reproductive isolation in sympatry. We also tested whether the chemical differences in uropygial secretions observed in allopatric populations are maintained in sympatry or not. We established a clear divergence in nuclear genome between these species, suggesting efficient reproductive isolation mechanisms, and found evidence for assortative mating. We also found that chemical labels remain distinct in sympatry, suggesting their divergence is not purely due to environmental effects.”

Cory's Shearwater, photograph by Paulo Catry

Reference:

Zidat, T., Dell’Ariccia, G., Gabirot, M., Sourrouille, P., Buatois, B. Celerier, A. Bonadonna, F. & Crochet, P.-A. 2017.  Reproductive isolation maintains distinct genotypes, phenotypes and chemical signatures in mixed colonies of the two European Calonectris shearwaters (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae).  Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.  doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx002.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 June 2017

BirdLife International uses its Globally Threatened Bird Forums to update the Red List for birds on behalf of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).  In preparation for the 2017 update, BirdLife has invited participation in the forum process to discuss proposed revisions to the global threat status (IUCN Red List category of extinction risk) for selected species.

Three ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels have been included in the Threatened Seabird Forum for consideration in the June round with details regarding the proposed changes:

Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis: proposed for up-listing to Endangered from Vulnerable.

Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophris: proposed for down-listing from Near Threatened to Least Concern.

Westland Petrel Procellaria westlandica: currently Vulnerable; request for information following Tropical Storm Ita causing damage to the species’ sole breeding site in 2014.

Antipodes Albatross (subspecies gibsoni) on Adams Island, Auckland Islands, photograph by Colin O'Donnell

“The initial deadline for contributions is 17 July 2017, when we will assess the contributions made. We will then post up a draft list of preliminary proposals and there will be two more weeks to comment further before final recommendations to IUCN are collated. The new and revised species assessments and updated factsheets will be published on the BirdLife website and incorporated into the 2017 IUCN Red List, currently scheduled for release in late November.”

In November last year BirdLife International called for comment on up-listing the Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta from Near Threatened to Vulnerable and the Amsterdam Albatross D. amsterdamensis being down-listed from Critically Endangered to Endangered.  These two calls remain open for comment.

Click here for information on how to submit comments on any of the five ACAP-listed species.

With thanks to Ross Wanless.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 09 June 2017