1. 
   USFWS Bio-technician Laura Brazier and Supervisory Biologist Jon Plissner band Midway’s latest Short-tailed Albatross chick on 16 April 2023, photograph by USFWS Volunteer Andrew Sullivan-Haskins
   “Wow! What a big chunky fuzzball” – Hob Osterlund, Kaua'i Albatross Network

The 2022/23 Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus chick on the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge was banded last month, with uniquely numbered metal and green plastic bands, the latter for easy recognition at a distance. Noticeably larger than the surrounding Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis chicks, the Short-tail chick is the fourth to be reared to banding age by its parents, the well-known pair George and Geraldine, on Sand Island since 2019.

On goes the green MOO colour band, photograph by USFWS Volunteer Andrew Sullivan-Haskins

The 2022/23 chick has been observed interacting with its four-year-old and thee-year-old siblings who have been returning to the island as pre-breeding juveniles, as recorded on a wildlife field camera.

Close to fledging? Geraldine returns to feed her chick and then settles down to watch it exercise its wings on 6 May 2023, photograph by USFWS Volunteer Scott Wolff

The chick’s parents were originally banded on the Vulnerable species’ stronghold, Torishima and are currently the only Short-tailed Albatrosses breeding east of Japan. Three chicks were banded on Eastern Island in the atoll between 2010/2011 and 2013/2014, reared by a different Short-tailed Albatross pair. An unbanded male in adult plumage was found freshly dead on 13 December 2014 on the island from unexplained causes (click here), and was initially thought to be one of the breeding pair.

Access the many earlier ACAP Latest News articles about George and Geraldine, and other Short-tails on Midway, from here.

UPDATE.  The Short-tailed Albatross chick was videoed successfully fledging on the afternoon of 23 May, flying towards the fringing reef. "Despite the moderately strong winds and rough seas; the bird seemed to be faring well as it continued making its way south of Spit Island and out of sight" (read more details on the Friends of Midway National Wildlife Refuge Facebook page).

Video by by Fish and Wildlife Service  volunteer, Alex Teodorescu

" The chick was still present near the nest on May 20th. The chick’s father [George] was last at the nest site on May 5 and its mother [Geraldine] was present from May 5-May 8. One of the chick's older siblings (either the 2019 or 2020 chick) revisited the site May 16-19." (information from a game camera).

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 30 May 2023, updated 02 June 2023

Manx Shearwater at sea, photograph by Joe Pinder

Martyna Syposz and Oliver Padget (Department of Biology, Oxford University, UK) have published early view in the journal Seabird on the fate of banded Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus grounded by unfavourable weather conditions or exposure to artificial light.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus, like other procellariiform seabirds, spend most of their lives at sea and are encountered on land only when breeding at colonies or if they are grounded due to unfavourable weather conditions or exposure to artificial light. Here, we used historical ringing data to explore the age class structure and spatial patterns of Manx Shearwater groundings and examined ringing and recovery data to identify records of post-grounding survival for first-year and adult birds. We noted 35 cases, out of 6,381 ringed grounded shearwaters, where a bird went on to be recaptured, including two individuals that were later recorded as having successful breeding attempts. While this constitutes only a small number of birds confirmed to have survived following grounding, it is likely to be a considerable underestimate of survival considering the low probability of recapturing a surviving shearwater. Finally, we found that a greater proportion of grounded birds were first-years compared to adult shearwaters, and that adults were found to be grounded further away from colonies than first-year birds. This may be indicative of differential impacts of light pollution at different life stages.”

Reference:

Syposz, M & Padget, O. 2023. The fate of rescued Manx Shearwaters following grounding. Seabird 35 16 pp.

See also:

Syposz, M., Gonçalves, F., Carty, M., Hoppitt, W., & Manco, F. 2018. Factors influencing Manx Shearwater grounding on the west coast of Scotland. Ibis 160: 846-854. [click here for ACAP report]

01 June 2023

Kauai’s sixth Small Indian Mongoose, live trapped on 05 May 2023, photograph from the Hawai’i Department of Health

The Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is home to important breeding populations of Endangered Hawaiian Petrels Pterodroma sandwichensis and Critically Endangered Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli. On the island both seabird species are at risk to predation by feral cats and domestic pigs, but not as yet to mongooses.

Small Indian Mongooses Urva auropunctata were first introduced in 1883 to the main Hawaiian Islands from Jamaica (although native to Asia) to control rats in sugarcane fields. They are now widespread on the Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Molokai. Kauai so far remains free of an established population. However, at least six mongooses have been definitely recorded on Kauai over the last five decades as listed below (click here for more details). Five of the six have been live-trapped and then euthanized by the Hawai’i Department of Health – Vector Control Branch and the Kaua’i Invasive Species Committee after initial sightings. The most recent mongoose on Kauai was caught after a week from its initial sighting this month by deploying no less than 43 live traps. In addition, there have been hundreds of unconfirmed sightings on the island since 1968, raising concerns there could be a breeding population in existence. However, biological evidence for this is said to be scant, following an island-wide status review that also developed standard response protocols for sightings .

Definite Records

1976. Lactating female found dead along a road near Kalaheo

May 2012. Adult male captured near the Lihue Airport

June 2012. Captured near the Nawiliwili Harbour (click here)

October 2016. Captured at Lihue Airport

December 2021. Captured in Nawiliwili Harbour (click here)

April/May 2023. Captured in Nawiliwili Harbour (click here)

The fifth Small Indian Mongoose recorded on Kauai, 28 December 2012, photograph from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture

Read more here.

Reference:

Duffy, D. C. & Capece, P.I. 2014. Depredation of endangered burrowing seabirds in Hawai’i: management priorities. Marine Ornithology 42: 149-152. (click here)

Phillips, R.B. & Lucey, B.  2015? Kauai Mongoose Standard Operating Procedures to Conduct an Island-wide Status Assessment and Early Detection Rapid Response. [Kapaa: Kaua’i Invasive Species Committee]. 24 pp.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 31 May 2023

Delegates attending the Thirteenth Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee gather for the official photo outside Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh, Scotland, photograph by Bree Forrer

Two-weeks of intense and productive talks concluded in Edinburgh, Scotland with the Thirteenth Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee (AC13) adopting its report last Friday. 

AC13 spent last week considering the recommendations put forward in the reports from its Working Group meetings held the previous week. The reports of the Seabird Bycatch (SBWG11) and Population and Conservation Status (PaCSWG7) Working Groups and the joint meeting of both Working Groups (Joint SBWG11-PaCSWG7) are now available on the ACAP website (see AC13 Docs 9, 11 & 12).  The report of the ACAP Taxonomy Working Group (AC13 Doc 10), which conducts its business online, was also considered by the Advisory Committee.

The report of the 13th Meeting of the Advisory Committee in the three official languages of English, France and Spanish will be published on the ACAP website.

The day before report adoption, delegates were treated to a superb day out to the Scottish Seabird Centre, a conservation and education charity located approximately an hour east of Edinburgh in the pretty seaside town of North Berwick. The centre manages several islands that are home to internationally important breeding seabird populations. 

AC13 Delegates aboard the boat ready to take in a wonderful afternoon spotting seabirds (left); and the iconic Bass Rock with its distinctive lighthouse looms in the distance (right). The rock appears white due to the thousands of Northern Gannets nesting and their guano staining the rock's surface, photographs by Bree Forrer

Delegates enjoyed a presentation from the centre and explored its interactive education facilities before heading out on a boat trip around the islands of Bass Rock and Craigleith. The iconic Bass Rock is a steep volcanic monolith which has supported up to 150 000 Northern Gannets, plus smaller numbers of European Shags, Common Guillemots (Common Murres) and Razorbills. Craigleith, one of the smaller islands in the chain is inhabited by a variety of seabirds, including the crowd favourite, the Atlantic Puffin.

Atlantic Puffins were high on the group's wish list of birds to see on the outing and delegates did not leave disappointed, photograph by Patricia Serafini

In May 2022, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (sub-type H5N1) was confirmed on Bass Rock and thousands of Northern Gannets became infected and died. Staff at the Seabird Centre are hoping to carry out a census over the coming summer to gauge population numbers.

Northern Gannets crowd the volcanic rock of the Bass (as it is known locally), photograph by Bree Forrer

The outing, though sobering with the knowledge of the devastation caused by H5N1 in seabird colonies in Scotland and across the world, was thoroughly enjoyed by delegates who witnessed thousands of seabirds in their natural habitats. The day was a poignant reminder of the importance of continuing to strive for the conservation of albatrosses and petrels against the many threats they face.

29 May 2023