Southern Giant Petrel chick on Marion Island; photograph by John Dickens

Marcela Uhart (Latin America Program, Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA), Ralph Vanstreels and Patricia Serafini have produced a report in the ACAP Conservation Guideline series that discusses how best to work with albatrosses and petrels in the face of avian Influenza, giving specific recommendations that include best practices for conducting fieldwork in seabird colonies.

A summary of the report follows in English.  The summary and full text are also available in French and Spanish on the ACAP website.

“Although most avian influenza infections are not pathogenic to seabirds, the current outbreak of high-pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) has raised concern due to its unusual impact on wild birds. Although to date there are no reports of mortality events of Procellariiformes attributable to HPAI, the rapid spread of the currently prevalent H5N1 strains in the northern hemisphere and their unprecedented impacts on seabird populations raise concerns about potential risks for ACAP-listed species. The 2022/2023 austral summer may present the greatest potential for HPAI outbreaks among procellariiform populations, when most of these birds will congregate to breed at colonies in the southern hemisphere. Furthermore, all sites where ACAP-listed species congregate may be at risk of exposure via migratory birds or accidental introduction by human activities (e.g., banders, researchers and tourism) and should thus be in a state of alertness.”

Reference

Uhart, M., Vanstreels, R.E.T. & Serafini, P. 2022.  Guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the on-going high-pathogenicity H5N1 avian Influenza outbreak.  ACAP Conservation Guideline.  4 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 July 2022

 
Southern Giant Petrel R037 off Montevideo

When Fernando Saravia reported to ACAP Latest News that he had photographed a colour-banded Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus (Least Concern) in Uruguayan waters off Montevideo on 30 June this year he probably had little idea what a mission it would be to track down from where the bird had originally come.  From his photographs the bird can be readily identified as a juvenile, likely recently fledged due its uniform brown plumage, and the blue plastic band on its right leg can be read as R037 in white lettering.  No metal band (which would carry a national banding address) can be seen on either leg.

A response to Fernando elicited that the Southern Giant Petrel was seen with other juveniles that were feeding on a dead South American Sea Lion Otaria byronia some 150-200 m from the shore at 34° 56'S, W 56° 10'E.  He also said it was not an Argentinian-banded bird based on his initial enquiry.

Armed with the above information the hunt was on.  Successive enquiries by ACAP and others to marine ornithologists who work in the Southern Ocean and to national banding schemes resulted in an e-mail string of over 35 messages and replies saying the bird was not one of theirs from Brazil, France, Germany, South Africa and the United Kingdom.  The help of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (SCAR EG-BAMM) was then enlisted via its outgoing Secretary, Yan Ropert-Coudert, who sent out the bird’s sighting details to the group’s list of contacts.

Four juvenile Southern Giant Petrels gather round a seal carcass off Montevideo; photograph by Fernando Saravia

Eventually it was discovered that the bird was from Chile, having been colour-banded as a chick close to fledging on Islas Diego Ramírez by Cristián Suazo’s research group on 16 March 2022 (no metal band had been added).  These islands are some 2600 km south of Fernando’s sighting in the South Atlantic  Cristián has written to ACAP Latest News that he had arrived from the field to find Fernando’s email, saying “Great news since we just started the metal and colour banding of petrels to explore juvenile distribution with an emphasis on the domestic Chilean fisheries”, adding that “we previously thought that juveniles were more prone to first distribute along the Chilean coast (mainly in the Humboldt Current System)”.

Pleasing to resolve the mystery through the support of colleagues and confirm the value of international bodies such as ACAP and SCAR EG-BAMM in tracing down a banded bird – and also that young giant petrels are indeed ocean travellers!

With thanks to Fernando Saravia, Cristián Suazo and all the correspondents.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 25 July 2022

All the way from Midway Atoll as an egg: a colour-banded Black-footed Albatross prepares to fledge from Isla Guadalupe; photograph from GECI

Thirty-four of the 35 Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes chicks that were translocated to Isla Guadalupe, Mexico as eggs have now successfully left their foster nests.  Thirty-six eggs were collected from nests on Midway Atoll where their habitat is at risk to predicted sea-level rise and increased frequency and severity of storm surges as a result of climate change.  The eggs were flown to Mexico where they were raised by Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis foster parents on Guadalupe.  This is the second season for the translocation project that aims to add the Near Threatened Black-footed Albatross to the list of birds that breed in Mexico; 27 chicks fledged in the first season (click here).

Hawaii-based NGO Pacific Rim Conservation, which is partnering the project with the Mexican NGO Conservación de Islas (GECI), writes on its Facebook page: “We are beyond thrilled at the success rate of this project and can't wait for these birds to return to Guadalupe Island in a few short years to start a new colony there.  For more information on why we translocate seabirds from Midway to Mexico, check out www.islandarks.org.”

“Climate Change”: artwork by Grisselle Chock of ABUN after a photograph of a Black-footed Albatross by Laurie Smaglick Johnson

Meanwhile, over on Mexico’s Isla San Benedicto, part of the Revillagigedo National Park (a World Heritage site), four Laysan Albatross chicks have fledged this year following their banding in May.  These are the first to fledge in three seasons of monitoring during which no pair was able to successfully raise chicks, mainly due to high depredation by native land crabs, as well as to landslides occurring in the breeding locality due to the volcanic ash floor from a 1952 eruption (click here).  Laysan Albatrosses have bred historically on San Benedicto since 1990 with 17 nests reported in December 2003 (click here).  However, this season’s fledging is stated to be the first success for the island.

A 2022 Laysan Albatross chick on Isla San Benedicto, photograph by Deneb Saldierna

GECI has reported on its Facebook page that over 25 years it has removed no less than 70 populations of invasive species from 39 Mexican islands.  Federico Alfonso Méndez Sánchez, GECI Director, writes: “Our organization, founded in 1998, began with a special focus on north-western Mexico because here lies the largest concentration of islands and the largest number of troubled species ... along with, of course, the largest number of invasive species.  The most problematic mammals are wild cats, rats, mice, sheep, goats, wild dogs, wild donkeys and rabbits.  These have caused extinctions on islands all over the world and Mexico is no exception.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 July 2022

Marcel attends the 18th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18), Geneva, Switzerland in August 2019

Marcel Calvar, ACAP National Contact Point for Uruguay since the Second Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MoP2), held in Christchurch, New Zealand in November 2006, has informed the ACAP Secretariat of his retirement this year.

Delegates attending ACAP’s MoP2 in Christchurch, New Zealand in November 2006.  Marcel Calvar is in the front row, third from the left

He has written (in translation) to the ACAP Executive Secretary, Christine Bogle as follows:

“I am writing to let you know about my retirement.  This has been a difficult decision to make.  However, I understand it happens to us all to have very strong feelings when we give up those things that we chose to do out of a sense of vocation and after having dedicated many years to them.

For more than half of my life I have had the amazing privilege of working in what has been my profession and then specialising in matters related to the conservation of wild species.  In addition, I have had the honour to represent Uruguay at meetings of various international agreements, where I have got to know wonderful, committed people who are highly dedicated, as well as to appreciate the enormous capacity of the staff in their Secretariats.

With ACAP in particular I have the enormous satisfaction of having been one of the technical team who drafted the argumentation allowing Uruguay to become a Party to the Agreement in 2001, presenting it again in 2006, and which was finally approved in legislation in July 2008.  This was a long administrative saga delayed by the serious economic crises that Uruguay suffered in 2002.  In those years, we (Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos - DINARA and the Department of Fauna) were part of the same Ministry.  In all this time the help of ACAP’s Executive Secretaries and their secretarial staff, as well as the companionship of Party delegates, made my task a highly satisfactory one.

I can sincerely state that my best working memories come from my work on this theme.  The lives of albatrosses and petrels began to inspire me ever since my first trip to Antarctica in 1994 to monitor a colony of Wilson’s Storm Petrels Oceanites oceanicus which extended over five research seasons.  My best wishes for the successful development of the Agreement, which will always require the commitment of very dedicated people.

Finally, thank you for your constant collaboration and professionalism that has made possible the implementation of the Agreement.”

Marcel at ACAP’s MoP6, held in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa in May 2018

In his letter he also extended his warm greetings to ACAP’s Information and Science Officers.  The ACAP Secretariat wishes Marcel a happy and a long retirement and thanks him for his valued contributions to the Agreement’s goals of protecting albatrosses and petrels over the years, and his work that led to Uruguay becoming the 13th Party to the Agreement by accession in January 2009.  He will be missed!

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 July 2022

Marcel Calvar’s original letter to the ACAP Executive Secretary in Spanish follows

“Te escribo para informarte sobre mi jubilación.  Son momentos de difícil decisión. Pero entiendo que a todos nos pasa, de tener sentimientos encontrados cuando se abandonan aquellas cosas que se eligieron por vocación y cuando hemos dedicado muchos años a estos temas.

Más de la mitad de mi vida tuve el extraordinario privilegio de trabajar en lo que fue mi profesión y luego mi especialización en temas de conservación de especies silvestres.

Asimismo, tuve el honor de representar a Uruguay en distintas reuniones de convenciones internacionales donde conocí gente maravillosa y comprometidas con su dedicación a estos temas, como la enorme capacidad del personal de sus secretarías.

Con ACAP en particular tengo la enorme satisfacción de haber sido uno de los técnicos que redactó la justificación para que Uruguay ratificara el Acuerdo en el 2001 y luego volver a presentarlo en 2006, pero que finalmente se aprobara por ley en julio de 2008. Una larga tramitación que debió ser postergada por la grave crisis económica que Uruguay vivió en 2002.  En aquellos años DINARA y el Departamento de Fauna formábamos parte de un mismo ministerio.

En todo este tiempo tanto el apoyo de las distintos Secretarios Ejecutivos, el personal de apoyo de las secretarías, así como el compañerismo de los delegados de los países hicieron que mi tarea fuera altamente satisfactoria.

inceramente, llevo uno de los mejores recuerdos laborales en este tema.  La vida de albatros y petreles comenzó a apasionarme desde mi primer viaje a la Antártida en 1994 para monitoreo de una colonia de petrel de Wilson durante cinco temporadas de investigación.

Mis mejores éxitos para el desarrollo del Acuerdo que siempre requerirá del compromiso de gente muy dedicada.

Por favor, hazle llegar un caluroso saludo a Wavee y a John.

Finalmente, agradezco tu colaboración constante y profesionalismo para hacer posible la ejecución del ACAP.”