BirdLife International’s Seabird Tracking Data Base “Tracking Ocean Wanderers” has since initiation in 2003 following a workshop in South Africa reached 10 million records from over 120 research bodies covering 131 species of which 66 are procellariiforms (tubenoses) including many (if not all) of the 31 ACAP-listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters.

“A symbol of the collaborative nature of the database, the ten millionth data point comes from a dataset owned by two contributors: Jacob González-Solís (Universitat de Barcelona) and Peter Ryan (Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town).  Number 10 million was a data point of the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, a bird with an impressively ample distribution that ranges from Argentina to Australia.”  The giant petrel was tracked from South Africa’s Marion Island, in the southern Indian Ocean (click here).

Colour-banded Southern Giant Petrel from Gough Island at sea, photograph by Peter Ryan

View at-sea data points for two other ACAP-listed species, the Northern Giant Petrel M. halli from Marion Island here and of Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris from Kerguelen here.

The bird tracked for the longest so far is a juvenile Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena from the UK’s Gough Island in the South Atlantic, another South African research endeavour, which travelled to the southern Indian Ocean.

Read more here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 June 2017

A number of reports relating to aspects of the conservation and biology of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels have been tabled at the May and June meetings of the Conservation Services Programme’s Technical Working Group of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.  Albatrosses  covered include Antipodean Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni, Northern Royal D. sanfordi, Buller's Thalassarche bulleri and White-capped T. steadi, along with the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli.

The reports are listed by authors and titles below.  Click here to access their full texts.

Northern Giant Petrel chick on Diappointment Island, photograph by Graham Parker

References:

Baker, G.B. & Jensz, K. 2017.  White-capped Albatross Aerial Photographic Survey, January 2017 Milestone 2 Report.  Report prepared for Department of Conservation Contract 4687-2C.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  4 pp.

Baker, G.B., Jensz, K., Elliott, G. & Walker, K. 2017.  Aerial Survey for Gibson’s Albatross on Adams Island, 2016.  Final Report prepared for New Zealand Department of Conservation.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  12 pp.

Baker, G.B., Jensz, K., Bell, M., Fretwell, P.T. & Phillips, R.A.  2017.  Seabird Population Research, Chatham Islands 2016/17 aerial photographic Survey Draft Final Report.  Report prepared for Department of Conservation Contract 4686-2.  [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants.  16 pp.

Bell, E. & Bell, M. [2017].  INT 2016/02 Identification of Seabirds Captured in New Zealand Fisheries Quarterly Report: 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016.  Blenheim: Wildlife Management International.  14 pp.

Goad, D. 2017.  Tori Line Designs for Small Longline Vessels Draft Final Report.  [Papamoa]: Vita Maris.  19 pp.

Parker, G.C., Sagar, P., Thompson, D. &Rexer‐Huber, K. 2016.  The Establishment of a Marked Population of White‐Capped Albatross to allow  Estimation of Adult Survival & other Demographic Parameters, Disappointment  Island,  Auckland Islands. Department of Conservation, Conservation Services Programme, Contract 4687‐2A.  Dunedin: Parker Conservation.  14 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 June 2017

Vitor Paiva (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports on differences in foraging of female and male Cory’s Shearwaters Calonectris borealis.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Sexual segregation in foraging occurs in many animal species, resulting in the partitioning of resources and reduction of competition between males and females, yet the patterns and drivers of such segregation are still poorly understood. We studied the foraging movements (GPS-tracking), habitat use (habitat modelling) and trophic ecology (stable isotope analysis) of female and male Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris borealis during the mid chick-rearing period of six consecutive breeding seasons (2010–2015). We found a clear sexual segregation in foraging in years of greater environmental stochasticity, likely years of lower food availability. When food became scarce, females undertook much longer foraging trips, exploited more homogeneous water masses, had a larger isotopic niche, fed on lower trophic level prey and exhibited a lower body condition, when compared to males. Sexual competition for trophic resources may be stronger when environmental conditions are poor. A greater foraging success of one sex may result in differential body condition of pair mates when enduring parental effort, and ultimately, in an increased probability of breeding failure.”

Male and female Cory's Shearwaters together, photograph by Paulo Catry

Reference:

Paiva, V.H., Pereira, J., Ceia, F.R. & Ramos, J.A. 2017.  Environmentally driven sexual segregation in a marine top predator.  Scientific Reports.  7. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02854-2.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 June 2017

King George Island is part of the South Shetland Island group and lies about 125 km from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.  Admiralty Bay lies on the southern coast of the island between Martins Head and Demay Point. The bay is one of the most surveyed areas in Antarctica with the Brazilian Antarctic Programme having monitored its seabirds since 1984.  A single ACAP-listed species breeds within Admiralty Bay, the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, on both the eastern and western shores of the bay.

The breeding site on the eastern entrance to the bay is at Vauréal Peak. This colony is located on gently sloping low cliffs, covered by mosses, lichens, scree and boulders.  Nests are constructed mainly of pebbles.  The most recent ground census undertaken marine mammals to utilize the area for breeding.  The area has been monitored since 1985 by Brazilian researchers from the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos.  In the austral summer of 2011/12 (on 28 November) the population size was 60 breeding pairs occupying an area of 0.3 ha.  Previously in 1978/79 113 occupied nests were counted, suggesting a decrease.  However, counts made since 2005 show the population has remained stable over the last decade.

Vauréal Peak falls within an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA No. 1) that includes the whole bay.

Southern Giant Petrels also breed on the western shore of Admiralty Bay where 10 nests were reported in 2004/05 within an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA No. 128), that falls within the ASMA.  It has also been designated as an Important Bird Area (West Admiralty Bay ANT046) by BirdLife International for its Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua population.  Within the ASPA entry is only allowed under permit and   “pedestrians should maintain the following minimum approach distances from wildlife, unless it is necessary to exceed these for purposes allowed for by the permit: ... Southern giant petrels – 50 m”.

A Southern Giant Petrel in Antarctica, photograph by Michael Dunn

With thanks to Patricia Pereira Serafini.

Selected literature:

ATCM 2014.  Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area No.1.  Admiralty Bay, King George Island.  XXXVII Final Report.  Measure 4 (2014) Annex.  pp. 227-276.

ATCM 2014.  Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No 128.  Western Shore of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands.  ATCM XXXVII Final Report.  Measure 4 (2014) Annex.  pp. 65-82.

Harris, C.M., Lorenz, K., Fishpool, L.D.C., Lascelles, B., Cooper, J., Coria, N.R., Croxall, J.P., Emmerson, L.M., Fijn, R., Fraser, W.L., Jouventin, P., LaRue, M.A., Le Maho, Y., Lynch, H.J., Naveen, R., Patterson-Fraser, D.L., Peter, H.-U., Poncet, S., Phillips, R.A., Southwell, C.J., van Franeker, J.A., Weimerskirch, H., Wienecke, B. & Woehler, E.J. 2015. Important Bird Areas in Antarctica 2015.  Cambridge: BirdLife International and Environmental Research & Assessment Ltd.  302 pp.

Patterson, D.L., Woehler, E.J., Croxall, J.P., Cooper, J., Poncet, S., Peter, H.-U., Hunter, S. & Fraser, M.W. 2008. Breeding distribution and population status of the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli and Southern Giant Petrel M. giganteus. Marine Ornithology 36: 115-124 & appendices.

Petry, M.V., Valls, F.C.L., de Souza Petersen, E., Krüger, L., da Cruz Piuco, R. & dos Santos, C R. 2016. Breeding sites and population of seabirds on Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Biology 39: 1343-1349.

Poncet, S. & Poncet, J. 2007.  Southern Ocean Cruising Second Edition.  Cambridge: Environmental Research & Assessment.  160 pp.

Sander, M., Carneiro, A.P.B., Balbao, T.C, Bays, S.R., Costa, E.S., Mascarello, N.E., Oliva, T.D. & Santos, C.R.D. 2005. Status and trends of Antarctic seabirds at Admiralty Bay, King George Island. Polarforschung 75: 145-150.

Maria Virginia Petry & Júlia Victória Grohmann Finger, Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil, 14 June 2017

NOTE: photographs of Admiralty Bay and its breeding Southern Giant Petrels are required.