Researchers on The Snares, photograph by Graham Parker from the report’s title page

Paul Sagar (Parker Conservation) and colleagues have submitted their final report on field work conducted in 2026 on Near Threatened southern Buller’s Albatrosses Thalassarche b. bulleri at the Snares Island group to the Conservation Services Programme of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

The report’s Executive Summary follows:

“This report presents the results of demographic studies of southern Buller’s albatrosses Thalassarche bulleri bulleri breeding at Tini Heke | The Snares from 26 February to 22 March 2026.  A whole-island count of the numbers of breeding pairs on North East Island and Broughton Island was attempted.  This was largely successful, as ~78.5% of the Snares population was counted (South West Promontory and Alert Stack could not be fully counted).  A total of 6,041 occupied nests was estimated in counted areas on North East Island.  A comparison of the estimates from comparable areas showed a decline from 5,812 pairs in 2014 to 5,296 in 2026, a decrease of 9% over the 12 years.  The estimated number of breeding pairs on Broughton Island was 680, similar to the 621 pairs estimated in 2019.  When accounting for unsurveyed areas and applying a correction for vantage-point counts, the Snares southern Buller’s albatross population was estimated at 8,194 breeding pairs in March 2026.

Demographic studies at the three study colonies on North East Island have been undertaken annually 1992–2026, with the exceptions of 2018 and 2021. Estimates of the numbers of breeding pairs in 2026, made by recording the contents of each nest mound, increased in all three study colonies compared to 2024, but numbers remain below the levels recorded 2010–2023.  Assuming that the three study colonies are representative of changes across North East Island as a whole, the Buller’s albatrosses breeding population probably peaked in 2005–2006 and has since undergone marked annual variations, with a general decrease since 2010.  To increase coverage, a new study area was established at South Punui, bringing the annually-monitored population to 3.6% of the whole.

A total of 422 birds that had been banded previously in the study colonies as breeding adults of unknown age were recaptured. A further 56 breeding birds were banded in the study colonies, presumed to be first-time breeders.  The estimate of adult survival in 2025 was 0.85, one of the lowest recorded during the 34 years of this study.  During 1992–2004 all chicks that survived to near-fledging in the study colonies were banded and their survival to return to the study colonies in subsequent years has been monitored.  This year, 128 of these birds were recaptured, with 7 birds from cohorts banded in 1998 and 2004 recorded as breeding for the first time.  This highlights the long-term monitoring required to obtain reliable estimates of survival of known-age birds across life cycle stages.  In addition, five birds banded as near-fledging chicks in the study colonies in Sep 2013 and 2014 were recorded breeding for the first time. The process of fitting metal-banded birds with alphanumeric darvic bands was continued (darvics were fitted on 346 newly banded or recaptured birds).

Furthermore, tracking devices for high-resolution insights into foraging behaviour and flight characteristics were fitted on 28 Buller’s albatrosses.  Seven were also paired with TDRs to record sub-surface behaviour.  Finally, nest cameras to record data on breeding timing, productivity and nest survival rates were maintained, with 11 nest cameras recording for a further year.

Key recommendations are to extend the area covered by annual counts (including the area from the hut to the tip of the North Promontory) for more-precise trend estimates; and to record more resightings of banded birds to maximise the quality of key demographic parameter estimates by allowing for longer trips going forward.

Reference:

Sagar, P., Parker, G., Waipoua, T. & Rexer-Huber, K. 2026.  Population studies of southern Buller’s albatrosses at Tini Heke | The Snares.  Wellington: Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation.  26 pp.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 30 July 2026

 Salvin’s Albatrosses on the Western Chain, Snares Island, photograph by Ursula Ellenberg from the report’s title page

Kalinka-Rexer Huber (Parker Conservation) and colleagues have submitted their final report on their most recent survey of globally Vulnerable Salvin’s Albatrosses Thalassarche salvini on the Western Chain of the Snares Island group to the Conservation Services Programme of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

The report’s Executive Summary follows:

“Salvin’s albatross is listed as Nationally Critical and is the second most at-risk species in the New Zealand fisheries risk assessment.  There have been declines in estimated numbers of breeding pairs at the main population on the Bounty Islands.   However, the population on Tini Heke / Snares Western Chain has not been surveyed since 2015. Here we provide an updated estimate of the population size of Salvin’s albatross at Toru Islet, Western Chain.  On 1 Nov 2025 we found 420 active Salvin’s albatross nests (bird with an egg/chick) on Toru Islet.

Correcting for nest failures prior to survey, we estimate that there were 710 pairs of Salvin’s albatrosses breeding on Toru Islet in the 2025–26 season. Previous counts were conducted 25 to 45 days before this year’s effort, so for ease of comparison counts in 1996, 2009–11 and 2015 were also corrected for nest failures before the survey. Extrapolating to Rima based on historic proportions, the total Salvin’s albatross population on the Western Chain was estimated at 1,060 annual breeding pairs.  The estimated number of Salvin’s albatrosses breeding on the Western Chain has decreased progressively since the mid-1990s to a current low. Given past counts varied substantially from year to year, we suggest repeating ground counts next season.”

Reference:

Rexer-Huber, K., Ellenberg, U., Mattern, T., Parker, G.C. & Sagar, P.M. 2026.  Salvin's albatross population size at the Snares Western Chain. Wellington: Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation.  15 pp.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels 29 July 2026

 
(a) Kapiti Island (with Weka, shown in blue) and Mana Island (without Weka, shown in yellow) alongside their Tītī (Sooty Shearwater) colonies (black stars). (b) Camera trap screenshots of Weka predating on Tītī chick on Kapiti Island. (c) Cumulative percentage of hatched Tītī chicks predated by Weka on Kapiti Island in 2025 (from the publication)

Hailley Danielson-Owczynsky (Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, ‘t Horntje, Netherlands) and colleagues have published open access in the international journal of avian science Ibis on the declining fortunes of Sooty Shearwaters Ardenna grisea on an island with no non-native mammalian predators but facing depredation of chicks by native Weka Gallirallus australis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Seabirds play key ecological roles but face increasing threats worldwide. Among them, Tītī (Sooty Shearwater) Ardenna grisea are among the most abundant and culturally significant species in the Southern Hemisphere but are also threatened. Kapiti Island, Aotearoa (New Zealand), holds a Tītī colony which, despite eradication of non-native mammalian predators, continues to decline. Key drivers are changing oceanic conditions and depredation of chicks by Weka Gallirallus australis (a native rail). A neighbouring island, Mana Island, also holds a Tītī population, but no Weka, offering a natural ‘control’ site. Despite the decline of Tītī on Kapiti, and wider Aotearoa, and their ecological and cultural importance, few comprehensive estimates of vital rates exist (i.e. synthesized from multiple disparate data streams to mitigate uncertainty). We fitted data collected from Tītī at both Mana (1991–2025) and Kapiti (2022–2025) Islands to an integrated population model (IPM) to estimate vital rates and population size and to project the Kapiti population under two scenarios: status quo and a counterfactual ‘no Weka’ scenario informed by productivity estimates from Mana. Adult annual survival was estimated at 0.900 (95% CI 0.875–0.920), immature (i.e. prior returning to the colony as an adult, which peaked at ages 6–7) survival at 0.776 (0.735–0.816), breeding probability at 0.807 (0.723–0.879), breeding success on Kapiti (Weka) at 0.019 (0.005–0.043), breeding success on Mana (no Weka) at 0.420 (0.374–0.468) and adult population size on Kapiti at 237 (147–313). Without effective intervention, projections from 2025 predict a 70% decline in the Kapiti population by 2050 (𝜆 = 0.953; 0.848–1.00). However, counterfactual projections still show ongoing, albeit slower, declines (𝜆 = 0.969; 0.875–1.000), suggesting other pressures in addition to Weka predation. Our findings support future decision-making for conservation management on Kapiti, highlight the need for action beyond the island to address external stressors, and bear relevance to seabird and Weka management throughout Aotearoa to protect the iconic Tītī.”

Reference:

Ossona De Mendez, E., Dunphy, B.J., Cain, K.E., Chambon, J., Cotter, R., Daigle, E., Taylor, G.A. & Fischer, J.H. 2026.  Counter-factual simulation highlights requirements for additional management to avert extinction of a relict Tītī/Sooty Shearwater population.  Ibis doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70088.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels 28 July 2026

 Graphical abstract from the publication*

William Mills (Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, UK) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Environmental Pollution on mercury levels in the feathers of chicks of eight procellariiform species breeding on Bird Island, South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)* in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“At the subantarctic islands of South Georgia, albatrosses and petrels occupy a range of trophic niches, from zooplanktivore to top predator. Interspecific variation in mercury (Hg) contamination is therefore expected to be large within this community, as diet is the main exposure pathway. This study compared total Hg (THg) concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in feathers of >250 chicks belonging to eight albatross and petrel species at South Georgia during three years (2018-2020). Generally, zooplanktivorous species (Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata, blue petrel Halobaena caerulea) and the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans (top predator) were least and most contaminated, respectively. However, the order of increasing THg concentrations among giant petrels Macronectes spp. and pelagic generalist species varied annually, likely reflecting shifts in diet or distribution given the diversity of alternative foraging habitats. Accounting for species effects, THg was positively associated with δ¹⁵N in all years, and with δ¹³C in two years, indicating that contamination increased with trophic position and generally, but not always, varied along a foraging habitat or latitudinal gradient. Lastly, pelagic generalists and northern giant petrels M. halli, but neither zooplanktivores nor wandering albatrosses, were more contaminated at Kerguelen than South Georgia, potentially reflecting dietary differences, more complex food chains and a reduced role of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba in the pelagic foodweb of the southern Indian Ocean. Overall, this study highlights the drivers of variation among species, years and regions in THg concentrations, and the need for further work to predict future trends.”

Click here and here to access two previous papers on mercury in South Atlantic procellariiform seabirds by William Mills.

With thanks to Richard Phillips.

Reference:

Mills, W.F., Bustamante, P. & Phillips, R.A. 2026.  Dynamics of mercury contamination within the albatross and petrel community at South Georgia.  Environmental Pollution 406, 128745.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 27 July 2026

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur e Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.