Maria Petry and Victória Benemann (Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil) have published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin on marine debris in corpses of White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis on 120-km shoreline surveys in Brazil over 11 years from 1990 to 2014.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Seabirds are amongst the most affected organisms by plastic pollution worldwide. Ingestion of marine debris has been reported in at least 122 species, and owing to the increasing global production and persistence of these anthropogenic materials within the marine environment, it is expected to be a growing problem to the marine fauna. Here we report evidence of an increasing frequency in marine debris ingestion and a decrease in the amount of plastic pellets ingested by White-chinned Petrels attending south Brazilian waters during the last three decades. Future studies comprising large temporal scales and large sample sizes are needed to better understand the trends of marine debris ingestion by seabirds. We expect our findings to highlight the need for prevention policies and mitigation measures to reduce the amount of solid litter in the oceans.”

A White-chinned Petrel pair duet, photograph by Ben Phalan

Reference:

Petry, M.V. & Benemann, V.R.F. 2017.  Ingestion of marine debris by the White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis): is it increasing over time off southern Brazil?  Marine Pollution Bulletin doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.073.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 07 July 2017

Nola Parsons (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, Bloubergrant, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the journal Veterinary Parasitology on blood parasites found in seabirds taken in for rehabilitation.

Six ACAP-listed species of albatrosses and petrels were examined with Hepatozoon albatrossi recorded in one of eight Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris.  Plasmodium sp. was found in one of 18 Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli.  Spirochaete bacteria were found in a single Southern Giant Petrel M. giganteus out of 27 examined.  Blood parasites were not detected in 17 White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis, two Shy Albatrosses T. cauta and one Light-Mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata.  Infection levels in Southern Ocean procellariiforms, including ACAP-listed species examined, were much lower than in more inshore-foraging continental species.

Black-browed Albatross, phtotograph by Richard Phillips

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Blood parasites are generally uncommon in seabirds, and knowledge on their epidemiology is further limited by the fact that they often inhabit remote locations that are logistically difficult or expensive to study. We present a long term data set of blood smear examinations of 1909 seabirds belonging to 27 species that were admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Cape Town (Western Cape, South Africa) between 2001 and 2013.  Blood parasites were detected in 59% of species (16/27) and 29% of individuals examined (551/1909).  The following blood parasites were recorded: Babesia ugwidiensis, Babesia peircei, Babesia sp., Plasmodium sp., Leucocytozoon ugwidi, Hepatozoon albatrossi, Haemoproteus skuae and Spirochaetales.  Several of the records are novel host-parasite associations, demonstrating the potential of rehabilitation centres for parasite and disease surveillance, particularly for species infrequently sampled from which no host-specific parasites have been described.”

Reference:

Parsons, N.J., Voogt, N.M., Schaefer, A.M., Peirce, M.A. & Vanstreels, .RE.T. 2017.  Occurrence of blood parasites in seabirds admitted for rehabilitation in the Western Cape, South Africa, 2001–2013.  Veterinary Parasitology 233: 52-61.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 February 2017

Miguel Ferrer (Applied Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) Seville, Spain) and colleagues have published in the journal Polar Biology on blood plasma values of Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris chicks and adults.

The paper’s abstract follows:

Blood chemical reference values and variations in them in long-lived endangered birds are of metabolic, veterinary, ecological and/or taxonomic interest.  In the present study, we for the first time provide such reference values and test the influence of sex, age, and nest location on up to 11 plasma values in nesting black-browed albatrosses (Thalassarche melanophrys [sic]) that we sampled in 2015 on the Falkland Islands.  Our results showed that differences between sexes were not significant for any of the parameters for which we tested.  We found insignificant differences in metabolically related parameters in nestlings being raised in the middle of nesting colonies and those being raised at the edges of the colonies indicating that nest location did not affect the nutritional status or health of young, developing albatrosses.  Conversely, age had a significant effect on a number of metabolites, inorganic ions and enzymatic activity.  In particular, age-related differences in glucose, triglyceride, urea, and uric acid suggested that the relative metabolic rate was higher in nestling than in adult albatrosses.”

Black-browed Albatrosses allopreening, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Reference:

Ferrer, M., Morandini, V., Perry, L. & Bechard, M. 2017.  Factors affecting plasma chemistry values of the black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophrys.  Polar Biology doi:10.1007/s00300-017-2075-6.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 February 2017

A Senior Research Assistant and two Research Assistants are once again required for island restoration work on Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, a World Heritage Site.  Fieldwork will include demographic monitoring of the Critically Endangered and near-endemic Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena, seriously at risk to attacks by alien House Mice Mus musculus, as well as of four other species of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.  Alien plant eradication also forms part of the work.  All three posts will be for a period of 15 months, consisting of two months pre-deployment training and 13 months deployment on Gough.

A male Tristan Albatross on its nest site near Gonydale on Gough Island investigates the photographer, Tom McSherry

“The primary rationale for these positions is to support the restoration of Gough Island.  We wish to attract committed candidates who will adapt to the requirements of this restoration programme and remain focused on the outputs needed to progress this globally important effort.  This position will offer a unique opportunity for highly motivated and disciplined individuals with relevant fieldwork skills and a keen interest in wildlife, who will adapt well to a small island living in a challenging sub-Antarctic environment.”

Details of the three posts and how to apply can be found on the website of the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) by clicking on Senior Research Assistant and two Research Assistants.  The closing date is 28 February 2017.

Click here for the previous year’s advert.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 February 2017