A 10-strong monitoring team, along with three rodent-detection dogs, is about to spend three weeks on New Zealand’s Antipodes Island searching for signs of House Mice Mus musculus. The team will be transported to the island next week by the New Zealand Defence Force (click here).  This follows on from the poison bait drop carried out by the Million Dollar Mouse campaign 18 months ago (equal to two austral summers) in July 2016. It is expected that monitoring tools will also include ink-tracking cards, wax tags and chew cards designed to show the presence of mice (click here).  Follow the history of the Antipodes eradication project here.

The Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis that breeds on the island has recently been uplisted to globally Endangered (from Vulnerable) due to “a very rapid decline in population size” (click here).

A pair of Antipodean Albatrosses, photograph by Erica Sommer

Meanwhile, at the other side of the world on a small Scottish island a team led by ‘Biz’ Bell of New Zealand’s Wildlife Management International is using chocolate wax blocks to detect signs of any remaining Black Rats Rattus rattus following the laying of bait stations on the Shiant Isles two years ago (click here). Results of the post-eradication investigation are expected by month end (click here). It is hoped Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus will colonize the island in the absence of rodents.

In the South Atlantic this austral summer field teams with three detection dogs have been searching for any remaining rodents on South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur* since November, following poison bait drops on the island over three separate austral summers from 2011 to 2015 (click here). The survey is set to be completed in April.

ACAP Latest News will report on the outcomes of these three post-eradication investigations as information becomes available.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 08 February 2018

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

Dragonfly Data Science (Wellington, New Zealand) is looking for a statistical modeller to join its team. Someone is required to work on problems related to fisheries science, including on seabird and marine mammal bycatch issues.

Seabird-related projects currently being worked on include a project looking at seabird bycatch in surface longline fisheries across the Southern Hemisphere; and statistical analysis of seabird bycatch for the New Zealand Government. Dragonfly Data Science is also working on methods for generating seabird distributions.

Twin bird-scaring lines in use behind a trawler, photo by Ed Melvin

Applications close on 23 February 2018.

More information on the position is available here.

With thanks to Amanda Gladics.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 07 February 2018, corrected 08 February 2018

The fifth and last year of transferring Globally Vulnerable and New Zealand endemic Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita chicks from their breeding colony on the Pyramid for hand rearing at Point Gap in the Chatham Islands by the Chatham Island Taiko Trust commenced last month.  As in the four previous years the chicks will be hand fed until they fledge in the hope that they will recruit to the translocation site, leading to a new breeding colony becoming established (click here). Sixty chicks were transferred bringing the total number over the five years to 282.

“The sea finally calmed down just about enough to get on and off the Pyramid the other day - we only really went for a look because we were worried there weren't many albatross chicks this year but we ended up jumping ashore & quickly getting 60 chicks - it looks like it’s not too bad a year! The chicks are now safely back at Point Gap settling in to their new home” (click here).

Chatham Island residents are invited to come and see the albatross chicks at the Point Gap colony on 10 February.  "This is the final year of the albatross transfers so its your last chance to come and see the feeding in action and see the chicks while they're still cute and fluffy!"  View a video of the 2018 chicks on their artificial nests at Point Gap here.

Translocated Chatham Albatross chicks among decoys at Point Gap in a previous year

Decoys and a sound system will be left in place at the translocation site at Point Gap after the last cohort fledges to help attract returning birds.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 February 2018

Note:  For once, there is not too much albatross and petrel news about, so here instead is a great cartoon by Qual Albatroz for your Monday.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 February 2016