Gabriel Bousquet (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA) and colleagues have published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface on their study of dynamic soaring in albatrosses.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Albatrosses can travel a thousand kilometres daily over the oceans. They extract their propulsive energy from horizontal wind shears with a flight strategy called dynamic soaring. While thermal soaring, exploited by birds of prey and sports gliders, consists of simply remaining in updrafts, extracting energy from horizontal winds necessitates redistributing momentum across the wind shear layer, by means of an intricate and dynamic flight manoeuvre. Dynamic soaring has been described as a sequence of half-turns connecting upwind climbs and downwind dives through the surface shear layer. Here, we investigate the optimal (minimum-wind) flight trajectory, with a combined numerical and analytic methodology. We show that contrary to current thinking, but consistent with GPS recordings of albatrosses, when the shear layer is thin the optimal trajectory is composed of small-angle, large-radius arcs. Essentially, the albatross is a flying sailboat, sequentially acting as sail and keel, and is most efficient when remaining crosswind at all times. Our analysis constitutes a general framework for dynamic soaring and more broadly energy extraction in complex winds. It is geared to improve the characterization of pelagic birds flight dynamics and habitat, and could enable the development of a robotic albatross that could travel with a virtually infinite range.”

Amsterdam Albatross of Ile Amsterdam, photograph by Kirk Zufelt

Read popular articles on the paper here and here.

Reference:

Bousquet, G.D. Triantafyllou, M.S., Slotine, J.-J.E. 2017. Optimal dynamic soaring consists of successive shallow arcs.  Journal of the Royal Society Interface DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0496 + supplementary information.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 November 2017

ACAP Latest News has reported before that introduced House Mice Mus musculus have taken to attacking breeding Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis Albatrosses on USA’s Midway Atoll (click here).

Mice are the sole rodent and non-native mammal present on the atoll since Black Rats Rattus rattus were eradicated in 1996. The new habit, which has resulted in fatalities, was first noticed in just a few areas in December 2015, being recorded again the next breeding season over a much larger area. “When 2016 rolled around we were on the lookout for mice predation. And sure enough we started seeing the same attacks on albatrosses - only this time it was a much greater number of birds and it was much more widespread. It was across the entire island” (click here and here for gruesome photographs and night-time videos of mice attacking Laysan Albatrosses).

Mouse attacks on Midway albatrosses during the 2015/16 breeding season, photographs by US Fish & Wildlife Service and Robert Taylor

Midway is the third island where House Mice are known to kill breeding albatrosses, either (or both) chicks and adults on their nests, following Gough and Marion in the southern hemisphere; both islands where plans are afoot to eradicate then in the next few years (click here to access a selection of news items for these two islands)

With the 2017/18 breeding season about to start the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service “is committed to protecting and conserving the seabird colony on Midway Atoll and finding solutions to this growing crisis.” The service is working with partners to develop a long-term plan address the increasing threat of these invasive predators to seabirds on Midway Atoll.

See more here: “Warning: This album contains graphic images of wounded albatross. Viewer discretion is advised.”

Selected References:

Davies, D., Dilley, B.J., Bond, A.L., Cuthbert, R.J. & Ryan, P.G. 2015. Trends and tactics of mouse predation on Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena chicks at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean. Avian Conservation and Ecology 10(1): 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00738-100105.

Dilley, B.J., Schoombie, S., Schoombie, J. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. ‘Scalping’ of albatross fledglings by introduced mice spreads rapidly at Marion Island.  Antarctic Science 28: 73-80.

Duhr-Schultz, M. 2016. From the field. Updates from the Refuge Biology Program. Gooney Gazette II Winter 2016/2017. pp. 8-9.

Kepler, C.B. 1967. Polynesian Rat predation on nesting Laysan Albatrosses and other Pacific seabirds. The Auk 84: 426-430.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 14 November 2017

BirdLife Malta is looking for one full-time Seabird Conservation Warden to join its international team in the LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija Project to carry out a range of duties related with seabird conservation in Malta. This will include: rodent control, monitoring of colonies, public awareness activities on colony sites, compilation of data, mapping, and reporting.

The Project Warden will be based in BirdLife Malta's offices and work in relevant Natura 2000 sites.

BirdLife Malta’s LIFE Project Arċipelagu Garnija aims at securing the Maltese Islands for the globally Vulnerable Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan, of where approximately 10% of the species’ global population can be found. Protection of this local population is important on the global scale, especially with the drastic declines Yelkouan Shearwaters have been facing over the last decades.

Yelkouan Shearwater in Malta, photograph by Matthew Borg Cardona

The deadline for applications is on 5 December 2017.

Click here for a more detailed job description.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 13 November 2017

The 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Convention on Migratory Species; COP 12), meeting last month in Manilla, the Philippines adopted Resolution UNEP/CMS/COP12/CRP25 on Bycatch. The adoption followed deliberations by the CMS Aquatic Working Group under the Chair of Barry Baker, the CMS-appointed Councillor for Bycatch, supported by Documents UNEP/cms/Doc.21.2.4/Rev. 1 and UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.24.4.4 (click here to access the documents).

The new resolution is a consolidation of earlier resolutions on the subject adopted by the CMS, commencing in 1999 at its Sixth COP held in Cape Town, South Africa. It covers bycatch of seabirds, marine mammals, marine turtles and non-target fish species by trawls, purse seine nets, longlines, gillnets, driftnets and by other fishing methods.

The 2018 resolution largely covers matters already in the four earlier bycatch resolutions, which have now been repealed. However, an addition is text on animal welfare that recommends an evaluation of the welfare implications of bycatch of marine mammals, including investigation into the sub-lethal effects of bycatch-related injury and stress, and their conservation implications.

Setting longlines at night (along with other mitigation measures) reduces bycatch of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels

Barry Baker also represented ACAP at COP12, presenting a Statement on behalf of the Agreement, which referred to its activities and achievements of the last three years. He also drew attention to a newly perceived threat facing seabirds identified by ACAP: the intentional take of albatrosses by squid jiggers.

Read another news report on the new CMS bycatch resolution here.

With thanks to Barry Baker.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 November 2017