Cory’s Shearwater exhibiting primary moult, photograph by Mike Bridgeford

Letizia Campioni (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, Lisboa, Portugal) and colleagues have published in Ibis International Journal of Avian Science on relationships between moult and breeding in  Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris borealis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Migratory birds must fit three costly life-history events within the annual cycle, reproduction, moult and migration, to minimize their overlap and maximize survival and breeding success. However, some seabirds, such as Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis, overlap body moult and breeding, with flight feather renewal occurring in late chick-rearing. In contrast, the moult patterns of non-breeding adult (sabbatical) and immature Cory's Shearwaters, which also attend the colony during the breeding season, remain poorly understood. Furthermore, the potential implications of life-stage and breeding status trade-offs on moult status and colony attendance in non-breeders has rarely been investigated. Surveying different areas within one colony between June and September 2013 and 2014, we studied the age and breeding status composition of birds attending the breeding colony and scored moult of their body (breast and upper-neck), wing and tail feathers. We found that in addition to breeders (n = 165), 57.6% of the birds (n = 389) attending the colony were 4- to 10-year-old immatures (n = 132) and adult sabbatical shearwaters (n = 92). Sabbaticals and 8- to 10-year-old immatures (n = 28) were present at the colony during incubation, whereas only three sabbatical birds and no 8- to 10-year-old immatures were captured in late chick-rearing. Conversely, 4- to 7-year-old immatures arrived later in the season but were still present in late chick-rearing. Sabbatical and 8- to 10-year-old immatures were moulting body feathers at the same time as adult breeders, whereas, among 4- to 7-year-old immatures, older birds moulted earlier than younger birds. A larger proportion of sabbatical birds were replacing tail feathers compared with adult breeders. However, there was no evidence that sabbaticals or 8- to 10-year-old immatures differed in wing moult from adult breeders until August. Overall, our study shows that colony attendance by non-breeding adults and immatures is widespread in this population. The synchronous moult schedule of flight and body feathers across age groups at different life-history stages may suggest that this aspect of moult is controlled by environmental conditions."

Reference:

Campioni, L., Roda, S.B., Alonso, H., Catry, P. &  Granadeiro, J.P. 2023.  Colony attendance and moult pattern of Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) differing in breeding status and age.  Ibis International Journal of Avian Science doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13291.

15 February 2024

Linda Elliot (L) washing a Laysan Albatross; photo courtesy of PSG, and Dr Stephen Kress (R) holding a puffin at Eastern Egg Rock; photo by Bill Scholtz

Dr. Stephen Kress and Linda Elliott have been recognised by the Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) for their lifelong dedication to conservation with the announcement of the PSG 2024 Awards.  

Dr. Kress received the PSG 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, “in recognition of significant and distinguished contributions to seabird conservation and restoration, mentoring, and the Pacific Seabird Group”. Over five decades, he has been at the forefront of the development of seabird colony restoration and management techniques, including chick translocation and social attraction. 

Linda Elliott was recognised with the Special Achievement Award, “in recognition of innovation and dedication to seabird conservation, rehabilitation, and education through the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center”. Linda Elliott is the founder and director of the Hawaii Wildlife Centre and has over two decades of experience in wildlife rehabilitation. Linda is a leading figure in international rescue efforts, including the successful rehabilitation of thousands of oiled birds and mammals. 

More information about the awards given to Dr Stephen Kress and Linda Elliot can be found at the Pacific Seabird Group’s website here, https://pacificseabirdgroup.org/category/psg-news-stream/ .

14 February 2024

Satellite image of the typhoon approaching mainland Japan, 8 September 2019, from the publication.  Provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology

Kozue Shiomi (Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan) reports open access in the journal Ecology on a rare case that implies the upper limit of a seabird’s capacity to tolerate a storm.  A GPS-equipped Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas (Near Threatened) was caught in and survived a huge typhoon, showing swirling flight high (up to 4.7 km altitude) at speeds of 80-170 km/h for 11 hours over the mainland of Japan.

A Streaked Shearwater in its more normal habitat, close to the sea’s surface

The paper concludes:

“The present study appears to demonstrate an example of the behavior of seabirds at the extreme edge between failure and success of survival during a storm.  Further accumulation of such data would contribute toward an understanding of whether and how seabirds manage to survive frequent but irregular weather events.”

Read a popular account of the shearwater’s ordeal here.

Reference:

Shiomi, K. 2023. Swirling flight of a seabird caught in a huge typhoon high over mainland Japan.  Ecology 104 doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4161.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 February 2024

ACAP Executive Secretary, Dr Christine Bogle, with the five translation students on an outing in Hobart during their week-long internship program
(L-R) Angelica Maria Baquero Manrique, Ying Dong, Christine Bogle, Luna (Hyunkyung) Kim, Seah Yim and Linda (Qiyue) Jian

The ACAP Secretariat was once again delighted to welcome translation students to its annual internship programme in early January this year. Five translation students from Australian universities spent a week at ACAP Headquarters in Hobart putting their translation skills to the test.

ACAP normally hosts students completing their Master’s in one of ACAP’s three official languages - English, French and Spanish. However, in a first for the Agreement, this year the Secretariat hosted non-ACAP language students, with four of the five students specialising in Korean and Mandarin translation. This year’s cohort were: Ying Dong and Linda (Qiyue) Jian who specialise in Mandarin and English translation, Seah Yim and Luna (Hyunkyung) Kim in Korean and English, and Angelica Maria Baquero Manrique in Spanish and English. 

The students spent the week carefully translating technical reports, and web pages into the three languages, with the Secretariat quick to capitalise on the opportunity to have the Agreement’s Best Practice Advice on seabird bycatch mitigation measures translated into Mandarin (simplified) and Korean. To have the advice available in Mandarin and Korean is a positive step in ACAP’s ability to raise awareness of the mitigation measures in two countries with significant fishing fleets.

Linda Jian is studying for her Master of Translation and Interpreting at the University of NSW, specialising in Mandarin and English translation. Her interest in pursuing a Master’s came from a desire to gain a deeper understanding of language, especially the nuances in the word choice, and what is unsaid (pacing, pauses, tone and body language etc.). When asked what she enjoys about translation she said: “The opportunity and time to pore over the sentences and curate word choices in another language.”

Cultivating understanding between people and cultures was a common theme between the students when asked about their interest in the profession. Angelica Maria Baquero Manrique is a student in the Master of Translation and Interpreting Studies program at Macquarie University, and her focus is Spanish and English translation. Angela’s interest in obtaining a Masters came from her years of experience working in the field. She said: “Translation, for me, is not just a profession, it's a rewarding journey that involves helping individuals convey their knowledge to a broader audience. I find great satisfaction in facilitating the transfer of information between languages and cultures. It's a way to bridge gaps and foster understanding,”.

Reflecting on the week, Dr. Christine Bogle, ACAP's Executive Secretary, emphasised the immense value the students bring to ACAP through the internship programme, stating: "The assistance from the students is truly invaluable for ACAP, especially this year as ACAP’s Best Practice Advice for seabird bycatch mitigation was translated into Mandarin and Korean. Hosting the students is always a delight, and we are grateful for their contributions year after year."

12 February 2024