Newi Makhado proudly holds his Eagle-Owl Award statuette and framed certificate, photograph by John Cooper

South Africa’s ACAP National Contact Point, Dr Azwianewi (Newi) Makhado of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, received a prestigious Eagle-Owl Award from BirdLife South Africa at the South African Bird Fair in the Pretoria National Botanical Garden 

this last weekend.  One of only two Eagle-Owl Awards made for 2025, Newi received the award from BirdLife South Africa’s President, Yvonne Pendleton.

Newi Makhado is a Member of the ACAP Advisory Committee representing South Africa, and of both the Population and Conservation Status Working Group and Seabird Bycatch Working Group that report to the Advisory Committee.  Dr Makhado also serves on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group and Non-target Species Advisory Panel of the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion Project.

Newi Makhado visits the Mouse-Free Marion Project stand at the 2025 South African Bird Fair on 06 September, photograph by John Cooper

Newi’s award citation follows:

“Dr Azwianewi (Newi) Makhado deservedly receives an Eagle-Owl Award in recognition of his significant contributions to seabird conservation and his support of BirdLife South Africa's strategic objectives, particularly through the Seabird Conservation Programme and the 2025 Regional Red List assessment process.

Newi is a leading seabird ecologist and a dedicated conservation scientist with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, where he leads the Top Predator programme. In this role, he has made extensive contributions to the understanding and protection of South Africa’s marine top predators, notably seabirds such as penguins, albatrosses and petrels.

In 2024 and 2025, together with Rob Crawford, Newi co-authored 11 Red List assessments, applying his in-depth knowledge of long-term monitoring data, particularly for species breeding at the Prince Edward Islands. His technical input ensured that population trends and threats were accurately documented, and that conservation statuses were grounded in the best available evidence. He also provided guidance on broader seabird assessments, demonstrating his commitment to collaborative and rigorous science.

Beyond his formal duties, Newi has played a significant role in supporting BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Conservation Programme. He has facilitated access to data, engaged meaningfully in scientific dialogue and represented South Africa in international policy arenas such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. His ability to bridge science and policy has advanced regional and global conservation efforts for seabirds.

His passion for seabirds is captured in Birds on the Brink, where he reflects on decades of grueling yet purposeful fieldwork at Marion Island and on the Antarctic Peninsula. His research has illuminated the complex interactions between fur seals and seabirds, chronicled the alarming declines in Macaroni and Rockhopper penguins, and highlighted the multiple pressures faced by marine predators in changing ecosystems.

Since 2023, Newi has voluntarily contributed his time and expertise as a member of the BirdLife South Africa Conservation Advisory Committee, further supporting the organisation’s conservation efforts.

Newi’s contributions extend far beyond field surveys: he is a champion of conservation, a mentor to young scientists, and a powerful advocate in international forums. His support of BirdLife South Africa has been instrumental to our work and mission. For these reasons, he is a worthy recipient of an Eagle-Owl Award.”

ACAP extends its congratulations to Newi Makhado and looks forward to continuing to work with him both intersessionally and at its meetings.

With thanks to Clare Neall, BirdLife South Africa.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 September 2025

BirdLife Australia and Birds New Zealand will hold the 13th Australasian Ornithological Conference over 18-20 November 2025 in Perth, Western Australia.

“The AOC is BirdLife Australia’s primary conference and is the largest biennial gathering of enthusiastic amateur and professional ornithologists from the region.  You’ll have the chance to hear experts in the field of ornithology, as well as mingle with like-minded bird lovers and enthusiasts.  There will be plenty of event plans before and after the conference, including workshops, field trips and social events.  Our exhibitors will also showcase the latest products and services available in the market.”

A symposium on Seabird Conservation is being led by Barry Baker of the Australasian Seabird Group: “Seabirds are one of the most rapidly decreasing groups of birds worldwide.  This Australasian Seabird Group-sponsored symposium is intended to capture the interest of seabird biologists under a broad theme of seabird biology and conservation.  Aggregation of the seabird papers into a symposium will provide synergies for interaction among participants and enhance potential for collaborative approaches.”

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, photograph from the Pacific Islands Avian Health & Disease Program

Click here for information on the plenary speakers.  Details are also available for workshops and excursions (including a full day to Rottnest Island where at West End there is a colony of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna pacifica).

Registration is open, “early bird” until 26 September.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 September 2025

 Breeding Laysan Albatrosses at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Reserve and USFWS volunteer Louise Barnfield completing a weekly survey.  Photographs from Louise Barnfield

Results of the 2024/25 breeding season of Laysan Albatrosses or Mōlī Phoebastria immutabilis within the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Reserve on the Hawaiian island of Kauai are now in.  Out of 154 occupied nests within the reserve, 122 chicks were counted, giving a hatching success of 79.2%.  Predation by feral pigs early in the breeding season reduced fledging success to 53.3% and overall breeding success to 42.2%.

The remaining population of feral pigs had been removed from with the predator exclusion fence by May 2025, so it seems likely that the 2025/26 breeding season will show improved figures over the season just past.

There was a record number of 157 pairs of Laysan Albatrosses breeding within the reserve in the 2023/24 season – 20 more than in the previous season.  In the 2022/23 season pigs gained entry and destroyed nearly 70 albatross nests, prior to completion of the fence (click here).

Percentages calculated from information in the August 2025 issue of the Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges’ online newsletter “Wild Times”.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 04 September 2025

A breeding Grey-headed Albatross on Bird Island, photograph by Richard Phillips

Elizabeth Mackley (British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK) and colleagues have published in the open access journal Endangered Species Research on the most recent survey of three albatross species on South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur* in the South Atlantic.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Marine ecosystems face multiple human threats, and many species are declining. The wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and grey-headed albatross T. chrysostoma are categorised globally as Vulnerable, Least Concern and Endangered, respectively, by the IUCN. The populations at South Georgia are listed by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels as High Priority Populations for conservation, and to determine their current status and trends, we surveyed all breeding sites of wandering albatrosses, and ~30 % and ~73% of black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses, respectively. Comparisons with previous surveys indicated considerable variation in trends among sites and slower rates of decline from 2014/2015 to 2023/2024 than from 2003/2004 to 2014/2015: wandering albatross –0.1 vs. –1.7 % yr–1; black-browed albatross –1.1 vs. –1.8 % yr–1; grey-headed albatross: –4.1 vs. –5.0 % yr–1. Updated population estimates for South Georgia were 1278, 55 119 and 18 475 breeding pairs of wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses, comprising 13.3, 7.6 and 28.7 % of revised global totals and reflecting major declines of 39, 46 and 66 %, respectively, in just 32 to 40 yr. The main threats are bycatch in fisheries outside South Georgia waters and climate change, including the southerly shift of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba for the Thalassarche species. There are no current terrestrial threats other than highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) for wandering albatrosses. Addressing bycatch is therefore a clear management priority, which needs to overcome the main barriers of weak governance, reluctance to mandate best-practice bycatch mitigation and poor monitoring and enforcement of compliance.”

With thanks to Richard Phillips.

Reference:

Mackley, E.K., Poncet, S., Andy Black, A., Black, J., Floyd, K., Hall, R.M., Holmes, E.E., Manthorpe, S.J., Passfield, K., Bennison, A. & Phillips, R.A. 2025.  Endurance or extinction: long-term declines in albatrosses at South Georgia highlight threats from South Atlantic fisheries and climate change.  Endangered Species Research 57: 437-451.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 September 2025

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.