Ashley Bennison (Coastal & Maritime Research, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Ireland) and Mark Jessopp have published in the journal Bird Study on seabird observations made in the North Atlantic, including of the Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus and Arctic or Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. 

The paper's abstract follows: 

A number of tracking studies have [sic] shown an area of the North Atlantic, south of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, to be an important overwintering location for seabirds. We conducted seabird observations along a trans-Atlantic transect from Ireland to Canada in April 2014 to test the hypothesis that seabird species richness and abundance will peak in the area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  At-sea survey results agreed with previous tracking studies, highlighting the importance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge area for seabirds.

Reference: 

Bennison, A. & Jessopp, M. 2015.  At-sea surveys confirm a North Atlantic biodiversity hotspot.  Bird Study DOI: 10.1080/00063657.2015.1011601.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer 25 April 2015

Sarah Jamieson and Susan Waugh (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand) have published in the journal Notornis on the status of the Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carnepeis at three New Zealand breeding localities. 

Flesh-footed shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes) are considered to be one of New Zealand’s seabird species that is most heavily impacted by both commercial and recreational fisheries, yet they have an IUCN ranking of “Least Concern”.  To resolve this contradiction we conducted surveys on 3 large breeding colonies and compared our results to historical data. We found that the burrow density on the most northerly island (Lady Alice Island/Mauimua) has increased since the last set of surveys; however the density of flesh-footed shearwaters nests has remained stable. At the largest colony we surveyed (Ohinau Island), the density of burrows has remained stable, while the density of nests has declined. At New Zealand’s most southerly colony (Titi Island), both burrow and nest densities have remained stable. Our results suggest that the status of flesh-footed shearwaters populations in New Zealand is variable with 2 populations that are stable and 1 that is declining. Nevertheless, due to the short time period between our surveys and the historical data, repeated surveys in the future are needed to determine if further declines in the largest colony warrant a reassessment of the status of this species.

Flesh-footed Shearwater, photograph by Barry Baker

Reference:

Jamieson, S.E. & Waugh, S.M. 2015.  An assessment of recent population trends of flesh-footed shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes) breeding in New Zealand.  Notornis 62: 8-13.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 April 2015

Paul Sagar (National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research,  Christchurch, New Zealand) and colleagues have published in the journal Notornis on a decline in a population of the globally Vulnerable Salvin’s Albatross Thalassarche salvini at New Zealand’s Bounty Islands.

The paper’s abstract follows:

"We used data from 3 sources to examine the population size and trend of Salvin’s albatrosses (Thalassarche salvini) breeding on Proclamation Island, Bounty Islands, New Zealand.  Island-wide counts of breeding birds during incubation resulted in totals that declined 14%, from 3065 in 1997 to 2634 in 2004.  A count of breeding albatrosses over part of the island in 2011 indicated a further decline of 13% between 2004 and 2011, and an overall decline of 30% between 1997 and 2011.  Additional counts on part of Depot Island indicated a decline of 10% in the numbers of breeding pairs between 2004 and 2011.  Daily observations of 70 nests showed that hatching spanned the period from 5 to 21 November 1997, with a median of 15 November, apart from 5 eggs that had not yet hatched by the end of the study period.  Based on the banding and recapture of chicks banded in March 1985 annual survival was estimated at 0.926.  The scale of the decline estimated in this population has resulted in the conservation status of Salvin’s albatross being upgraded from nationally vulnerable to nationally critical."

Salvin's Albatross, photograph by Paul Sagar

Reference:

Sagar, P.M., Amey, J., Scofield, R.P. & Robertson, C.J.R. 2015.  Population trends, timing of breeding and survival of Salvin's albatrosses (Thalassarche salvini) at Proclamation Island, Bounty Islands, New Zealand. Notornis 62:21-29.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 23 April 2015

The locality in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* with the greatest number of breeding ACAP-listed Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus is Sandy Cay in the Elephant Cays group off the south-west coast of East Falkland.  A total of 10 936 breeding pairs was counted on aerial photographs taken on 08 December 2004 and 7474 chicks on photos taken on 14 January 2005, giving an estimated breeding success of 68%.  The entire colony, the World’s largest for the species, was in one area and was relatively compact.  Breeding of about 1000 pairs of Southern Giant Petrels in the Elephant Cays was recorded in 1986/87, with “hundreds” prior to the 1960s.

Aerial view of the Southern Giant Petrel colony on Sandy Cay, photograph from Reid & Huin [2005] 

Views of Sandy Cay showing tussock and beaches, photographs by  Ken Passmore

Sandy Cay is an 84-ha island with a 4-km coastline largely surrounded by kelp beds.  It is low-lying, flat-topped and roughly oval-shaped, made up of dense and ungrazed Tussac Grass Parodiochloa flabellata, grass meadows and boulder and sandy beaches and dunes, with three fresh-water bodies.  The single giant petrel colony is situated in the north of a 700-m long sandy beach in the north-east of the cay.

The Southern Giant Petrel breeing colony on Sandy Cay, photographs by Ken Passmore

The island is privately owned and operated as a wildlife sanctuary or nature reserve with landings very rarely allowed.  It forms part of BirdLife International’s Important Bird Area for the Elephant Cays (FK05).  Sandy Cay has been stocked with cattle in the past, but now appears to have no introduced mammals, including rodents, based on a ground visit on 28 April 2010.  The collection of giant petrel eggs for human consumption by visiting vessels in the first half of the 20th Century has been reported, suggesting the colony is one of long standing.

With thanks to Ken Passmore, Sally Poncet, Tim Reid and Anton Wolfaardt for information and photographs.

Selected Literature:

[Falklands Conservation] 2006.  Important Bird Areas of the Falkland Islands.  London: Falklands Conservation.  160 pp.

Passmore, K. & Poncet, S. 2010.  Assessment of the Presence of Rodents and Baseline Surveys on Elephant Cays, Stinker Island, Penn Island, Third Island and Fourth Island.  [Stanley]: Beaver Island LandCare.  54 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 and appendix.

Reid, T. & Huin, N. [2005].  Census of the Southern Giant-Petrel Population of the Falkland Islands 2004/2005.  [Stanley]: Falklands Conservation.  26 pp.

Reid, T. & Huin, N. 2008.  Census of the Southern Giant Petrel population of the Falkland Islands 2004/2005.  Bird Conservation International 18: 118-128.

Wolfaardt, A.[C.], Rendell, N. & Brickle, P. 2010.  Falkland Islands Implementation Plan for the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP): Review of Current Work and a Prioritised Work Programme for the Future.  Stanley: Falkland Islands Government.  57 pp.

Woods, R.W & Woods, A, 1997.  Atlas of the Breeding Birds of the Falkland Islands. Oswestry; Anthony Nelson.  190 pp.

Woods, R., Ingham, R. & Brown, A. 2006.  Falkland Islands.  In: Sanders, S. (Ed.).  Important Bird Areas in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories.  Sandy: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.  pp. 99-162.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer 22 April 2015

*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.