In 2018 the World Seabird Union approved the formation of a Specialist Committee on Seabirds and Plastic Pollution (SCSPP) under the Chair of Stephanie Avery-Gomm.

The Specialist Committee was established to foster a community of practice for researchers studying plastic pollution and seabirds. This is not exclusive to plastic ingestion, although that is the primary focus of the work currently underway.

The SCSPP’s aims are to:

Publish peer-reviewed papers that standardize and guide research aiming to understand the impacts of plastic pollution on seabirds; and

Provide a central base for knowledge exchange.

Plastic spoon and latex balloon and plastic fragments removed from a Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus (click here)

The following information comes from the (UK) Seabird Group Newsletter No. 141 of June 2019.

“Plastic pollution is an emerging issue of concern, which is attracting increasing attention.  Although the impacts of plastic pollution may, for many species, pale in comparison to threats associated with bycatch, invasive species, and climate change, an increasing number of species are found to ingest plastic, with yet unknown consequences.  The members of this committee are a group of international seabird researchers collaborating on research regarding seabird plastic ingestion. We represent world experts on the issue across North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand” [but not from Africa or Asia].

Current SCSPP members are Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Alex Bond, Stephanie Borrelle, Elisa Bravo Rebolledo, Sjúrður Hammer, Mark Mallory, Susanne Kühn, Jennifer Lavers, Jennifer Provencher and Jan van Franeker.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 July 2019

At its most recent meeting (AC11) ACAP’s Advisory Committee expressed support for a proposal to hold a World Albatross Day to aid in giving greater visibility to the conservation crisis that continues to face albatrosses and petrels.  An intersessional working was formed under the Chair of Verónica López from Chile to further the proposal.  At its first meeting held at the time of AC11 it was agreed that the day should be marked annually on 19 June from next year, the date in 2001 that the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels was signed in Australia. 

As part of publicizing World Albatross Day prior to its inauguration field teams working with albatrosses at breeding localities are being requested to make a suitably-worded banner advertising the 19 June event and drawing attention to the birds’ conservation crisis.  The banner would then be photographed with the field workers in a suitable setting close to albatrosses.  Requests to join the ‘banner challenge’ are emphasizing that local regulations in respect to minimum approach distances to albatrosses and their nests should be adhered to and that birds (and their chicks) should not show signs of disturbance (or be held or restrained) when the photos are taken.

 Chris Jones works on the banner in the laboratory on Gough Island

Michelle Risi of the Gough Island Restoration Programme, and a World Albatross Day Working Group member, is leading on the banner challenge from Gough Island where she is based until October 2020, corresponding with researchers and managers working with albatrosses around the world.  To set the scene the three-person field team on Gough Island has already made and displayed their banner within the long-term study colony of Critically Endangered Tristan Albatrosses Diomedea dabbenena in Gonydale.

It’s quite a climb to Gonydale with a small river to cross on the way: Chris Jones and Michelle Risi negotiate Gough Island's thick lowland vegetation

The very first World Albatross Day banner is displayed in the field by (from left) researchers Alexis Osborne, Michelle Risi and Chris Jones while making a regular monitoring visit to a study colony on Gough Island.  The Tristan Albatross chick remains undisturbed on its mud and vegetation nest

Photographs by Michelle Risi

With the differences in timing of breeding seasons of albatrosses around the world, field teams may need to wait until ‘their’ species commences breeding before heading out with a banner.  ACAP Latest News thus hopes there will be a spread of banner photography from now into next year and looks forward to posting the photographs along with their stories.

 John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer & Michelle Risi, Gough Island Restoration Programme, 12 July 2019

Field teams led by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) have spent four months of the last (2018/19) austral summer on sub-Antarctic Auckland Island conducting work to inform the ambitious pest eradication project that aims to rid the sub-Antarctic island of its feral pigs and cats and House Mice (click here).  An online report of initial findings of the summer’s field work is now available, and is summarized here.

Three main research programmes were carried out to test various eradication methods, one for each of the mammal pests:

Feral Pigs.  To test island-wide techniques a temporary electrified fence was erected to cut off the 930-ha Falla Peninsula.  The enclosed pigs were then largely removed by aerial hunting from a helicopter aided by a thermal imaging camera.  Ground hunting with a team of five hunters with 10 dogs in a trial then followed.

Feral pig on Auckland Island, photograph by Pete McClelland

House Mice.  Following the successful removal of the peninsula’s pigs a mouse team aerially dispersed non-toxic bait to test the use of a low bait density – and in summer as opposed to the usual winter timing.  Results of both these variants to usual methods for mice were deemed to be successful.

Feral Cats.  Leg-hold trapping and GPS collars were used to track the movements of 17 cats.  Trail cameras were also tested as an aid to assessing presence and scats were collected, with the aid of a dog, for DNA analysis.

The summer report concludes as to what comes next:

“Data analysis, reporting, further trials investigating the use of cat specific toxins on the island, working out how to operate in the Subantarctic environment during the winter and most importantly working with partners and Treasury to source funds and build support for the project to become operational.  This is an enormously ambitious project in a wild and ruggedly beautiful place.  There’s a lot of work still to do, but hopefully in ten years’ time we can leave Auckland Island to the seabirds and megaherbs that should be calling it home.”

Read an earlier news item by Predator Free NZ, and watch a six-minute video clip that gives further information of the summer field season.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 11 July 2019

Seabird watchers on a ‘pelagic’ trip by Pauletta Charters out of Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania, Australia  on 5 May 2019 observed a banded great albatross Diomedea sp. at sea at 43° 10'S, 148° 16'E over 650 fathoms (1200 m) of water on the continental shelf edge.  The bird was photographed flying and on the water close to the vessel.  Examination of photographs after the trip allowed enough of the metal band number and lettering to be read, confirming it to be a South African (SAFRING) band no. J-26967.

Wandering Albatross J-26967 in Tasmanian waters, photograph by Rohan Clarke

Enough of the band is visible to deduce the bird's identity, photograph by Tim Bawden

SAFRING has confirmed that J-26967 was banded as a globally Vulnerable Wandering Albatross D. exulans chick on 23 July 2016 on Marion Island, two years and nine and a half months previously.  The Eaglehawk photos show the metal band was on the left leg, which is normal practice for chicks at Marion Island.  It had no colour band on its right leg; alphanumeric colour bands are only added to Marion Wanderers when they recruit to the breeding population and then only to birds in long-term study colonies.

The photograph of the bird in flight below allows an assessment of its wing moult.  Only the three outer primaries show signs of replacement, along with some median and lesser coverts, as well as the tertial greater coverts.  The secondaries and inner and middle primaries are all of the same age with no signs of moult.  This suggests the bird is a three-year old juvenile, which accords with the banding information.  Based on its notably large bill, it is thought likely to be a male.

Wandering Albatross J-26967 in flight off Tasmania, photograph by Rohan Clarke

Pauletta Charters’ trips out of Eaglehawk Neck operate under the banner of BirdLife Australia.

With thanks to Tim Bawden, Rohan Clarke and Peter Ryan for information, photographs and opinions on moult.

Reference:

Prince, P.A., Weimerskirch, H., Huin, N. & Rodwell, S. 1999.  Molt, maturation of plumage and ageing in the Wandering Albatross.  The Condor 97: 58-72.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 July 2019