Since opening its doors to patients in December 2014 the South Island Wildlife Hospital based in Christchurch, New Zealand has treated, rehabilitated and released many wild and native birds.

On 2 March this year the New Zealand's Department of Conservation delivered a globally Endangered and Nationally Critical Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis to the hospital.  Based on photographs it was considered to be a juvenile, possibly of the subspecies gibsoni according to a comment on the hospital’s Facebook page.  The bird was found on the beach at the Rakai River mouth south of Christchurch and was “very dehydrated, very hungry and near death”. Lots of fluids and lots of “sardine smoothies” later it was said to be looking better the next day.  The bird was X-rayed but no fish hooks had been swallowed.  Unfortunately, it died during the night of 4 March while still under care.  The bird had been present on the beach for at least four days before being collected, which would have exacerbated its dehydrated state.  Its corpse is to be sent for autopsy.

The Antipodean Albatross under care, photographs by the South Island Wildlife Hospital

Great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea are relatively rarely treated by wildlife hospitals or their equivalents, especially when compared to more inshore-foraging seabirds, such as cormorants or some penguin species.  A banded juvenile Wandering Albatross D. exulans (globally Vulnerable) from South Africa’s Marion Island turned up soon after it had fledged near Perth, Western Australia in 2006.  It was successfully rehabilitated and released at sea (click here).

With thanks to Karen Talbot, South Island Wildlife Hospital for providing updates on the albatross.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 March 2019

Jennifer Lavers (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation on using burrow scopes to determine population size of a burrowing seabird, the Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carneipes (globally Near threatened).

The paper’s abstract follows:

“One of the most fundamental aspects of conservation biology is understanding trends in the abundance of species and populations. This influences conservation interventions, threat abatement, and management by implicitly or explicitly setting targets for favourable conservation states, such as an increasing or stable population. Burrow-nesting seabirds present many challenges for determining abundance reliably, which is further hampered by variability in the quality of previous surveys. We used burrow scopes to determine the population status of Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) at their largest colony on Lord Howe Island, Australia, in 2018. We estimated a breeding population of 22,654 breeding pairs (95% CI: 8159-37,909). Comparing burrow scope models used in 2018 found more than half of burrow contents (20/36 burrows examined) were classified differently. If this detection probability is applied retroactively to surveys in 2002 and 2009, we estimate that the Flesh-footed Shearwater population on Lord Howe has decreased by up to 50% in the last decade, but uncertainty around previous surveys’ ability to reliably determine burrow contents means a direct comparison is not possible. The decline in burrow density between 2018 and previous years adds further evidence that the population may not be stable. Our results highlight a need for regular surveys to quantify detection probability so that as video technology advances, previous population estimates remain comparable. We urge caution when comparing population counts of burrowing seabirds using different technologies, to ensure comparisons are meaningful.”

Photograph from the publication: views of the same occupied Flesh-footed Shearwater burrow on Lord Howe Island using two different burrow scopes

Reference:

Lavers, J.L., Hutton, I. & Bond, A.C. 2019.  Changes in technology and imperfect detection of nest contents impedes reliable estimates of population trends in burrowing seabirds.  Global Ecology and Conservation doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00579.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 March 2019

Airam Rodríguez (Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Seville, Spain) and many colleagues have published an open-access review in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science on threats facing those procellariiform seabirds other than albatrosses.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Shearwaters and petrels (hereafter petrels) are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all the world’s oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 124 species. They have bet-hedging life histories typified by extended chick rearing periods, low fecundity, high adult survival, strong philopatry, monogamy and long-term mate fidelity and are thus vulnerable to change. Anthropogenic alterations on land and at sea have led to a poor conservation status of many petrels with 52 (42%) threatened species based on IUCN criteria and 65 (52%) suffering population declines. Some species are well-studied, even being used as bioindicators of ocean health, yet for others there are major knowledge gaps regarding their breeding grounds, migratory areas or other key aspects of their biology and ecology. We assembled 38 petrel conservation researchers to summarize information regarding the most important threats according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species to identify knowledge gaps that must be filled to improve conservation and management of petrels. We highlight research advances on the main threats for petrels (invasive species at breeding grounds, bycatch, overfishing, light pollution, climate change, and pollution). We propose an ambitious goal to reverse at least some of these six main threats, through active efforts such as restoring island habitats (e.g., invasive species removal, control and prevention), improving policies and regulations at global and regional levels, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts.”

An ACAP-listed Grey Petrel, photograph by Peter Ryan

Read a popular account of the research publication here.  In 2017 ACAP held a one-day workshop on Pterodroma and other small burrowing petrels (AC10 Doc 14 Rev. 1) in Wellington, New Zealand.

Reference:

Rodriguez, A., Arcos, J.M., Bretagnolle, V., Dias, M.P., Holmes, N.D., Louzao, M., Provencher, J., Raine, A.F., Ramírez, F., Rodríguez, B.,  Ronconi, R.A., Taylor, R.S., Bonnaud, E., Borrelle, S.B., Cortés, V., Descamps, S.M., Friesen, V.L., Genovart, M., Hedd, A., Hodum, P., Humphries, G.R.W., Le Corre, M., Lebarbenchon, C., Martin, R., Melvin, E.F., Montevecchi, W.A., Pinet, P., Pollet, I.L., Ramos, R., Russell, J.C., Ryan, P.G., Spatz, D.R., Travers, M., Votier, S.C., Wanless, R.M., Woehler, E. & Chiaradia, A. 2019.  Future directions in conservation research on petrels and shearwaters.  Frontiers in Marine Science  doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00094.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 March 2019

Continuing the series of occasional ALN postings on the roles of art and literature in the conservation of albatrosses and petrels, here is a poem by Australian albatross researcher, Melanie Wells, entitled The Way You Fly.

The Way You Fly

It’s in the way you fly
A transcendingly harmonious dance
A beacon of stillness among an ocean of chaos
You radiate grace and tranquillity from within and rise above the pandemonium of the outside world
You utilise the power of this wild energy, you harness the spirit of this unruly world and fly free and unfaltering
The power of this sea is your life force
Gliding boundlessly, remaining a fraction above the surface as to allow the ferocious spirit to enter you, but never overcome you
You remain within, poised and strong
Serene and still, a paradox of the outside world
Travelling where your urges may take you, the essence of your spirit infused with that of the wild sea.

Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, August 2018

Melanie worked as a volunteer research assistant for the Tasmanian Department for Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment monitoring programme on the conservation and status of Macquarie Island’s albatrosses and giant petrels for a year over 2017/18.  She went back to‘Macca’ for the 2018/19 summer.  She writes:

“Macquarie Island is home to four species of albatross: wandering, grey-headed, black-browed and light-mantled breed here. The poem above was inspired by the flight of an albatross. These birds utilise the energy of the wild southern ocean and soar in the most controlled and graceful manner at an incredibly low energetic cost to themselves.

Being very long-lived and having low fecundity rates, these birds will spend years and years at sea and on the wing before ever returning to land. They may circumnavigate the globe multiple times and are able to partially shut down parts of their brain while on the wing in order to rest. They are perfectly adapted for life within the mighty Southern Ocean.

I spent a year here on Macca during 2017-18. Upon my return I was understandably overwhelmed by the society that I had so blissfully been removed from. Returning to a seemingly fast-paced, over-developed, disposable society, I found inspiration and internal refuge watching black-browed and shy albatross glide offshore from my home in south-west Victoria. I endeavour to harness the spirit of Southern Ocean albatross in order to help navigate my way through life in 'the real world'.”

Grey-headed Albatross on Macquarie Island, photograph by Melanie Wells

See more of Melanie’s Macquarie albatross photographs here.

With thanks to Melanie Wells – read more of her poetry here.

John Cooper, ACAP Latest News, 19 March 2019