Writing in the New Zealand journal Notornis Peter Harrison reports on the little-known Heinroth’s Shearwater Puffinus heinrothi of the Solomn Islands.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“This paper reports recent at-sea sightings of the little-known Heinroth’s shearwater (Puffinus heinrothi) within the Solomon Islands.  Feeding habits are described and compared to those of black noddy (Anous minutus).  Observations suggest that Heinroth’s shearwater occurs in dark, intermediate and pale forms, and may be better considered as a polymorphic species.”

Reference:

Harrison, P. 2014.  At-sea observations of Heinroth’s shearwater (Puffinus heinrothi). Notornis 61: 97-102.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 June 1014

Lindsay Rowe (Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust) writes in the New Zealand journal Notornis on movements of translocated pre-fledgling Hutton’s Shearwater Puffinus huttoni.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Over 100 Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) nestlings were translocated to the Te Rae o Atiu colony on the Kaikoura Peninsula in February and March 2013.  Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags were implanted in all translocated nestlings and their movements were monitored using both visual observations and recording devices at nest-box entrances. Once nest-box entrances were unblocked about 5 days after birds were translocated, 29 nestlings were resighted 81 times outside their home nest-boxes either in the open (14 nestlings) and/or other nest-boxes (29 nestlings).  From the PIT tag records, 37 birds were observed visiting at least 49 nest-boxes on 109 occasions.  The most mobile bird made 15 visits to 12 other nest-boxes over 9 nights; another bird visited 6 boxes in one night; and 1 box had 3 visitors in a single night.  Nestlings moved within the colony in the period between 1 and 16 nights before fledging, with an average of 8 nights with movement before fledging.  The PIT tag readers also showed that the use of pins outside nest-box entrances to determine movements can be misleading as pins were moved up to 13 nights before the nest-box occupant emerged, the pins being moved either by visitors to the nest-boxes or by nestlings wandering past the entrance.”

Hutton's Shearwater, photograph by the Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust

Reference:

Rowe, L. 2014.  Post-translocation movements of pre-fledging Hutton’s shearwaters (Puffinus huttoni) within a newly established colony (Te Rae o Atiu) on the Kaikoura Peninsula.  Notornis 61: 84-90.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 14 October 2014

The Shiant Isles are a group of privately-owned islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.  The three main islands in the group total c. 220 ha.  The Shiants support large seabird populations, including Northern or Arctic Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis and Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica (65 200 pairs representing 10% of the UK’s population).  Also present on the isles since about 1900 are Black or Ship Rats Rattus rattus which have been shown to include Shiant seabirds in their diet, obtained either (or both) by predation or scavenging.

Shiant Isles

The Shiants Seabird Recovery Project now aims to eradicate the islands’ rats, inter alia in the hope of allowing Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus and European Storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus to commence breeding, for which there is some evidence of previous occurrence for at least the former species.

Manx Shearwater, photograph by Nathan Fletcher

“Plans to tackle the menace have been given a boost after £450,000 of European Union funding [under the LIFE+ programme, the European Union's environment fund] was awarded … to the Shiant Seabird Recovery Project.  Scottish Natural Heritage is providing £200 000 and the remainder will be raised from donations.  The project will use recordings of calls to attract the birds and will carry out active management to make sure the birds have the best opportunity to settle and breed” (click here).

“Following substantial research and consultation with specialists, an operational plan is being developed to eradicate the rats in the safest and most effective way, with the lowest risk of impacting native species, by laying poison in bait stations around the island” (click here).

The project to remove the rats is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage

and the Nicolson family, owners and custodians of the Shiants.

“In April 2012 a survey of the Shiants estimated there to be around 3,600 rats on the islands. This number increases significantly in the summer months when more food is available.  A study in 1998 found that 68% of the rats captured there had consumed feathers and quills.  The presence of Manx shearwaters on the islands historically is supported both by the abundance of suitable nesting habitat, and the discovery by archaeologists of Manx shearwater bones in a 17th- and 18th-century midden heap on one of the islands.  Evidence gathered from around the world demonstrates that the absence of shearwaters and storm petrels on the Shiants can be attributed to the presence of rats.  The eradication approach in the Shiants has proven successful on a number of UK islands, including Canna, Ramsey and Lundy. Since the eradication of rats on Lundy, in the Bristol Channel, Manx shearwater numbers on the island have increased tenfold… ” (click here).

Click here to read about improving breeding habitat for Manx Shearwaters and European Storm Petrels by the successful removal of rats from the United Kingdom’s Scilly Isles.

With thanks to Chris Pollard for information.

Selected Literature:

Nicolson, A. 2001.  Sea Room an Island Life.  London: HarperCollins Publishers.  391 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 13 June 2014, updated 22 June 2014

David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & Associates Ecological Consultants, Los Gatos, California, USA) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on stomach analyses of fledgling Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli found beneath power lines on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i.

Newell's Shearwater, photograph by Eric Vanderwwerf

The Endangered shearwater’s diet was dominated by ommastrephid squid, although it appears digestion had reduced the role of some other prey species, notably flying fish Exocoetus spp.. The paper concludes:  “Much remains to be learned about the at-sea ecology of the Newell’s Shearwater and how it is affected by fishing, a task made increasingly difficult owing to the continued steep decline in this species’ population on Kaua’i and elsewhere in Hawai’i.”

Reference:

Ainley, D.G., Walker, W.A., Gregory C. Spencer, G.C. & Holmes, N.D. 2014.  The prey of Newell’s Shearwater Puffinus newelli in Hawaiian waters.  Marine Ornithology 44: 69-72.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 June 2014