André Raine (Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i, Hawaii, USA) and colleagues have published in the journal Condor on declining population trends of globally Vulnerable Hawaiian Petrels Pterodroma sandwichensis and globally Endangered Newell's Shearwaters Puffinus newelli on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The island of Kaua‘i, Hawaii, USA, holds a large breeding populations of the endangered Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) and a majority of the world population of the threatened Newell's Shearwater (Puffinus newelli). We evaluated island-wide population trends of both species. For Newell's Shearwaters, we considered radar counts at 13 sites between 1993 and 2013 and annual island-wide tallies of fledglings retrieved after being grounded by light attraction in 1979–2015 (Save Our Shearwaters [SOS] program). For Hawaiian Petrels, we considered radar counts alone. Radar data indicated a 78% decline overall in numbers of Hawaiian Petrels (at an average rate of ∼6% per year) and a 94% decline overall in numbers of Newell's Shearwaters (at an average rate of ∼13% per year) during the survey period. Most (92%) radar sites showed significant declines of Newell's Shearwaters across the entire survey period, as did 62% of sites for Hawaiian Petrels. The SOS recovery effort collected 30,522 Newell's Shearwater fledglings between 1979 and 2015. When we compared this dataset in pre- and post-Hurricane Iniki (September 1992) periods, we found a significant downward trend after Hurricane Iniki, similar to the trend seen in the radar data. The large-scale declines found in this study are not surprising, considering the significant threats facing both species on Kaua‘i, which include powerline collisions, light attraction, introduced predators, and habitat modification - threats which were potentially exacerbated after Hurricane Iniki. Improved conservation initiatives and an increased understanding of the various threats facing the 2 species are key to reversing these declines.”

A Newell's Shearwater fledgling downed by lights gets released, photograph by Elizabeth Ames

Read more here and here.

Reference:

Raine, A.F.,Holmes, N.D.,Travers, M.,Cooper, B.A. & Day, R.H. 2017.  Declining population trends of Hawaiian Petrel and Newell's Shearwater on the island of Kaua‘i, Hawaii, USA. The Condor 119: 405-415.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 June 2017

BirdLife International’s Seabird Tracking Data Base “Tracking Ocean Wanderers” has since initiation in 2003 following a workshop in South Africa reached 10 million records from over 120 research bodies covering 131 species of which 66 are procellariiforms (tubenoses) including many (if not all) of the 31 ACAP-listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters.

“A symbol of the collaborative nature of the database, the ten millionth data point comes from a dataset owned by two contributors: Jacob González-Solís (Universitat de Barcelona) and Peter Ryan (Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town).  Number 10 million was a data point of the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, a bird with an impressively ample distribution that ranges from Argentina to Australia.”  The giant petrel was tracked from South Africa’s Marion Island, in the southern Indian Ocean (click here).

Colour-banded Southern Giant Petrel from Gough Island at sea, photograph by Peter Ryan

View at-sea data points for two other ACAP-listed species, the Northern Giant Petrel M. halli from Marion Island here and of Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris from Kerguelen here.

The bird tracked for the longest so far is a juvenile Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena from the UK’s Gough Island in the South Atlantic, another South African research endeavour, which travelled to the southern Indian Ocean.

Read more here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 June 2017

A number of reports relating to aspects of the conservation and biology of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels have been tabled at the May and June meetings of the Conservation Services Programme’s Technical Working Group of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.  Albatrosses  covered include Antipodean Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni, Northern Royal D. sanfordi, Buller's Thalassarche bulleri and White-capped T. steadi, along with the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli.

The reports are listed by authors and titles below.  Click here to access their full texts.

Northern Giant Petrel chick on Diappointment Island, photograph by Graham Parker

References:

Baker, G.B. & Jensz, K. 2017.  White-capped Albatross Aerial Photographic Survey, January 2017 Milestone 2 Report.  Report prepared for Department of Conservation Contract 4687-2C.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  4 pp.

Baker, G.B., Jensz, K., Elliott, G. & Walker, K. 2017.  Aerial Survey for Gibson’s Albatross on Adams Island, 2016.  Final Report prepared for New Zealand Department of Conservation.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  12 pp.

Baker, G.B., Jensz, K., Bell, M., Fretwell, P.T. & Phillips, R.A.  2017.  Seabird Population Research, Chatham Islands 2016/17 aerial photographic Survey Draft Final Report.  Report prepared for Department of Conservation Contract 4686-2.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  16 pp.

Bell, E. & Bell, M. [2017].  INT 2016/02 Identification of Seabirds Captured in New Zealand Fisheries Quarterly Report: 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016.  Blenheim: Wildlife Management International.  14 pp.

Goad, D. 2017.  Tori Line Designs for Small Longline Vessels Draft Final Report.  [Papamoa]: Vita Maris.  19 pp.

Parker, G.C., Sagar, P., Thompson, D. &Rexer‐Huber, K. 2016.  The Establishment of a Marked Population of White‐Capped Albatross to allow  Estimation of Adult Survival & other Demographic Parameters, Disappointment  Island,  Auckland Islands. Department of Conservation, Conservation Services Programme, Contract 4687‐2A.  Dunedin: Parker Conservation.  14 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 June 2017

Vitor Paiva (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports on differences in foraging of female and male Cory’s Shearwaters Calonectris borealis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Sexual segregation in foraging occurs in many animal species, resulting in the partitioning of resources and reduction of competition between males and females, yet the patterns and drivers of such segregation are still poorly understood. We studied the foraging movements (GPS-tracking), habitat use (habitat modelling) and trophic ecology (stable isotope analysis) of female and male Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris borealis during the mid chick-rearing period of six consecutive breeding seasons (2010–2015). We found a clear sexual segregation in foraging in years of greater environmental stochasticity, likely years of lower food availability. When food became scarce, females undertook much longer foraging trips, exploited more homogeneous water masses, had a larger isotopic niche, fed on lower trophic level prey and exhibited a lower body condition, when compared to males. Sexual competition for trophic resources may be stronger when environmental conditions are poor. A greater foraging success of one sex may result in differential body condition of pair mates when enduring parental effort, and ultimately, in an increased probability of breeding failure.”

Male and female Cory's Shearwaters together, photograph by Paulo Catry

Reference:

Paiva, V.H., Pereira, J., Ceia, F.R. & Ramos, J.A. 2017.  Environmentally driven sexual segregation in a marine top predator.  Scientific Reports.  7. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02854-2.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 June 2017