Monitored Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis and their chicks breeding on private properties along the northern shore of the Hawaiian island of Kauai survived falling trees from gale-force winds caused by a Cold Core Low (a type of cyclone) on 10 February.

The Kaua’i Albatross Network, which monitors the birds (87 eggs were counted in 2013/14) states “There was one very close call with a downed tree, but most of the debris was small branches”.  It seems most if not all the fallen trunks and branches were from non-native trees introduced from outside the Hawaiian Islands, including Ironwood Casuarina equisetifolia and Albizia Falcataria moluccana, both of which are susceptible to strong winds.

Narrow escape: an Ironwood falls right next to a breeding Laysan Albatross on Kauai, photograph by Hob Osterlund

Laysan Albatrosses breed below sometimes closed-canopy stands of introduced Ironwoods on Sand Island, Midway Atoll, although at lower densities than in open areas. As on Kauai, the fallen needles that cover the ground below the trees are used as nesting material.  The Ironwoods on Midway are prone “to toppling over in high winds, crushing nesting birds below. Control and removal of C. equisetifolia on Midway Atoll NWR has focused on trees that pose a hazard to buildings and on “hot spot” areas to prevent further expansion of the species” (click here).  In addition on Midway “Albatross get caught in the trees and can't free themselves.  If they don't die on impact, they die soon after getting tangled in the branches.” (click here).

A Laysan Albatross dies entangled in an Ironwood on Midway Atoll, photograph by Jaymi Heimbuch

On Midway, efforts have been made to remove trees in the areas most needed as habitat for breeding albatrosses.  . All the Ironwoods have already been removed from the atoll’s Eastern Island (which also supports breeding albatrosses).

With thanks to Jeanine Meyers, Hob Osterlund and Kim Steutermann Rogers.

Reference:

Arata, J.A., Sievert, P.R. & Naughton, M.B. 2009.  Status assessment of Laysan and black-footed Albatrosses, North Pacific Ocean, 1923-200.  U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5131.  80 pp. (click here).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 25 February 2019

The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is soliciting pre-proposals for projects that will provide demonstrable benefits to globally threatened or Data Deficient seabirds on the IUCN Red List by restoring breeding colonies within the Americas (defined as North, Central and South America, including Hawaiian and Caribbean Islands).  A total of USD 100 000 is available for a desired four projects.

The ABC has provided a “target” list of 22 threatened seabird species eligible for funding.  Seventeen of these are procellariiforms; the only ACAP-listed species is the globally Critically Endangered Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata.  Notably, the list includes seven species of storm petrels, most categorized Data Deficient.  The ACAP-listed and globally Vulnerable Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus is not listed as a candidate species for funding.

Waved Albatross over its hatching egg, photograph by Kate Huyvaert

Pre-proposals must be submitted online in English or Spanish by 15 March.  Full proposals will be called for on 22 March.

Read more here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 February 2019

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) is currently undertaking field work on sub-Antarctic Auckland Island this austral summer to inform the planned pest eradication project that aims to rid the island of its feral pigs and cats and House Mice.  Field work is planned to continue into March (click here for an earlier posting on the planned field work).

Over the 2018/19 summer, 40 field workers on the island have been conducting four main research programmes that have been designed to support and test various eradication methods.  These are:

Infrastructure (pig-proof fencing, cutting tracks, hut installation)

Feral pigs (helicopter-borne thermal imaging to aid to aerial hunting; ground hunting with dogs, baited traps)

House Mice (non-toxic bait take up to inform minimum bait density for an aerial poison drop in summer)

Feral cats (live-capture and leg-hold trapping, GPS collars to track movements, tracking with dogs)

White-capped Albatrosses on Auckland Island are at risk to pigs, photograph by David Thompson

“On top of these four programs this summer, the team is also installing a suite of biodiversity monitoring tools to measure the impact of the three predators on the island and to estimate the potential benefits of their removal. A dedicated team of GIS experts are using high definition satellite imagery and drones to help plan the infrastructure programme from the comfort of their office. Teams of experts are looking at developing new control methods, for example a cat targeted toxin which could be distributed by air, something that we don’t currently have in New Zealand.”

Read more details of the current field work here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 February 2019

Wildlife Management International (WMIL), a New Zealand-based environmental NGO, runs a long- term research project has been following the fortunes of a breeding colony of c. 400 pairs of the New Zealand-endemic Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni since the 1995/96 breeding season.  The 35-ha study colony is centred around the summit of Mount Hobson/Hirakimata on Great Barrier Island/Aotea in North Island’s Hauraki Gulf (click here).

News of the current breeding season of the globally and nationally Vulnerable Black Petrel or Takoketai comes from WMIL’s Facebook page:

“With the birds in the middle of their incubation period the team is trying to complete a vast number of tasks. This includes identifying all the parents dutifully siting on eggs as part of a 25 year long demographic study tracking adult survival and longevity. Recovering [Global Location Sensing] devices deployed last May to provide data on the migration during the non-breeding season – so far we have 40 of 50 devices back. Undertaking dozens of transects through the dense forest to work out a population estimate in the key breeding range and attaching tiny GPS [Global Positioning System] trackers to adults to determine the foraging range of breeding birds during incubation. So an exceptionally busy field trip, with some important research objectives.”

On Mount Hobson Black Petrels breed cconveniently close to the Aotea Track boardwalk

Darren Lees and the WMIL field team attach a GPS device to a breeding Black Petrel on Mount Hobson, photographs by Gareth Parry

Elizabeth 'Biz' Bell, Senior Ecologist, Wildlife Management International, expands on and updates the above in correspondence with ACAP Latest News:

"The WMIL team have just returned from Aotea/Great Barrier Island where they have been working on the takoketai/black petrel in our longest running seabird research project completed on behalf of Ngati Rehua, DOC and MPI. The team spent all of January at the study colony during the birds’ incubation and early chick rearing period completing a wide range of tasks. They identified 94% of all the parents dutifully sitting on eggs as part of the 24-year demographic study tracking adult survival and longevity. They also recovered 46 GLS devices, as well as recapturing two birds who had lost their devices at sea, out of 50 that were deployed last May to provide data on the migration during the non-breeding season. The team completed 80 transects through the dense forest in the high-quality takoketai habitat to work out a population estimate in the key breeding range. Fifty GPS trackers were deployed on adults to determine the foraging range of breeding birds during incubation. So an exceptionally busy field trip, with some important research objectives. Now the team are back in the office getting into the task of analysing the massive amounts of data and preparing the subsequent reports and papers."

With thanks to 'Biz' and Mike Bell, Wildlife Management International and Gareth Parry (who bumped into the WMIL team on Hirakimata/Mount Hobson).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 February 2019