Buller’s Albatross by Shary Page Weckwerth of Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for World Albatross Day 2020, after a photograph by Paul Sagar

Peter Frost (Science Support Service, Whanganui, New Zealand) and colleagues have published online in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on an aerial survey of Southern Buller’s Albatrosses Thalassarche b. bulleri on New Zealand’s Solander Islands.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“An aerial photographic survey of the Southern Buller's Albatross Thalassarche bulleri bulleri population breeding on the Solander Islands / Hautere was undertaken on 09 March 2024, mid-way through the birds' incubation period. Overall, 6,761 individuals were counted: 6,215 (92%) on Great Solander and 546 (8%) on Little Solander. Of these, 4,213 were sitting on nests, 368 were partners to sitting birds, 573 were standing near empty nests, and 145 were apparently loafing. The status of the remaining 1,462 individuals (22% of the total) was uncertain. Assuming that their status was in the same proportions to those of the clearly observed birds, 1,164 were judged to be sitting on nests, giving an overall estimate of 5,377 occupied nests. This is 4% fewer birds at nests than recorded during the last survey in 2016, when 5,620 apparently breeding pairs were reported in a combined aerial survey and ground count of sitting birds. During the 2024 survey, a check of 54 occupied nests along seven short non-random transects found only 33 nests (62%) contained eggs. The remainder (21 nests, 38%) comprised birds sitting on empty nests. The status of these latter birds is unclear. They could be pre-breeders occupying sites prior to nesting for the first time; recent failed breeders that have not yet abandoned their nest; or established breeders forgoing breeding for some reason but still occupying their nest site. Overall, the numbers of apparently occupied nests suggest a decline in the number of nesting Southern Buller's Albatross since 2016. This conclusion is tentative, however, given the many uncertainties surrounding counts and their interpretation.

Reference:

Frost, P.G.H., Baker, G.B., Fischer, J.H., & Sagar, P.M. 2025.  Population survey of Southern Buller’s Albatross Thalassarche bulleri bulleri on the Solander Islands / Hautere, March 2024.  Marine Ornithology 53: 361-371.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 15 October 2025

 A well-lit Kaikoura dairy farm as cows wait to be milked before dawn

What seems to be a previously unidentified threat has been reported for the globally Endangered Hutton’s Shearwater Puffinus huttoni, a species endemic to the Kaikoura region of New Zealand’s South Island.  The following text and photographs have been edited from a Facebook post by the Kaikoura Wildlife Hospital.

“This rare nocturnal seabird is disorientated by artificial lighting (streetlights, residential and commercial lighting) along the flight path from the sea to the only two remaining mountain colonies, resulting in crash landing.  Upon nightfall shearwaters fly inland to the Seaward Kaikōura Range and make their way to sea at dawn.

External lighting at milking sheds at dawn results in hundreds of shearwaters crash landing each breeding season, if not thousands.  Most go unnoticed or unreported.  There is also an assumption that being a bird, they will take off again.  Hundreds of shearwaters have been documented circling over milking sheds due to disorientation, with up to 40 shearwaters crash landing at a time.  Once grounded shearwaters are unable to take off without a thermal updraft and require urgent rescue.  Without rescue they succumb to crash landing injuries, cat/dog predation, dehydration, starvation, vehicle strike and cattle trampling.”

A Hutton’s Shearwater rescued from a milking shed where it had been mauled by a cat, causing blindness that required euthanasia

“Capping external lighting, using warm colour temperature light bulbs (amber vs white) and utilising motion sensors where possible, are key to reducing crash landing likelihood at milking sheds.”

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 14 October 2025

A feral cat on Kerguelen Island, with the remains of a European Rabbit, photograph by Charly Gicqueau

NOTE: The English text below has been edited from the original French text, with the help of Google Translate.

The European Union mobilized for the preservation of biodiversity in Kerguelen

The OPACK Project (Optimization of Feral Cat Management Actions in Kerguelen), launched in November 2024, is part of the European Union's BESTLIFE2030 ((Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European Overseas) grant scheme, a fund dedicated to the protection of biodiversity in overseas territories.  Led by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), this funding reflects the EU's commitment to fragile ecosystems, such as that of the Kerguelen Archipelago.  Thanks to this support, ambitious actions are being implemented to combat the feral cat, one of the main threats to iconic species such as the globally Vulnerable Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans.

The feral cat on Kerguelen

In 1951, two cats originating from the mainland France, were introduced to Port-aux-Français on Kerguelen Island to control rodents.  Two other individuals, coming from Madagascar and South Africa, were later brought in 1956.  Soon, these animals escaped from the base and formed a wild population, now estimated at 7000 individuals on the main island, with a density ranging from 0.4 to 2.4 individuals/km².

A major ecological upheaval

The establishment of a population of feral cats has profoundly altered the ecosystem of Kerguelen, particularly through its impact on bird population dynamics.  Indeed, the cats attack both chicks and adult birds of species that were previously not subject to predation.  A striking example: the breeding success of the Wandering Albatross drops to 12% in the presence of cats, compared to 86% in their absence, resulting in an annual population decline of 2.7 to 4.5% each year and threatening its long-term survival.

Baiting a cat trap with rabbit on Kerguelen

Actions and Challenges in the Field

Since 2015, Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF) have been carrying out targeted actions to reduce the impact of feral cats on three breeding sites of the Wandering Albatross on the Courbet Peninsula (Pointe Morne, Pointe Scott and Ratmanoff). Additionally, interventions occasionally take place on certain islands in the Morbihan Gulf to limit the geographic spread of cats and protect small species, such as the White-headed Petrel Pterodroma lessonii and Slender-billed Prion Pachyptila belcheri, which breed in burrows and are vulnerable to feline predation.  However, the extreme climatic conditions of Kerguelen put both teams and equipment to the test.  After 10 years of effort, the OPACK project (2025) aims to achieve two major objectives: renew trapping equipment and improve cat detection through the use of night vision equipment.

Hope for Many Species

In the long term, these actions are expected to benefit more than 15 species of breeding birds. The challenge is clear: to prevent a collapse of bird populations and to preserve a unique ecosystem.

Click here to read earlier postings to ACAP Latest News on Kerguelen’s feral cats.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 October 2025

Registration for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group to be held over 23-27 February 2026 is now open.  In an effort to reduce carbon footprint and engage a wider variety of scientists from around the world, the conference will be held fully online.

The theme for the meeting is “Seabirds: Connecting Oceans, Islands, and People.”

Click here to register:

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 10 October 2025