Second sighting: an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross on Gough Island; photograph by Amy King

ACAP Latest News has previously reported on the first record of an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri (Endangered) on Gough Island in the South Atlantic, photographed ashore in January 2019.

Members of the Gough Island Research Programme based on the island have now made the second sighting on 17 September 2021 of an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross as reported on the project’s Facebook page.  The vagrant albatross was seen and photographed in the same area where the first bird was observed, suggesting it could have been the same individual (noting that both birds were in adult plumage and that neither was banded).  Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses breed only on islands in the southern Indian Ocean.

The second Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross on Gough; photograph by Vonica Perold

Read about the genetics of the two yellow-nosed albatross species here.

With thanks to Amy King and Vonica Perold, Gough Island Restoration Programme.

Reference:

Ryan, P.G., Dilley, B.J., Risi, M.M., Jones, C.W., Osborne, A., Schofield, A., Repetto, J. & Ratcliffe, N. 2019.  Three new seabird species recorded at Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Seabird 32: 122-125.[click here].

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 October 2021

 
The Royal Cam chick Tiaki in September 2021, a few weeks before fledging; photograph by Sharyn Broni

The 2020/21 breeding season of globally Endangered and nationally Naturally Uncommon Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi in the mainland colony at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on New Zealand’s South Island has been a record one with 30 chicks now having fledged.  The last chick took flight on 03 October 2021; the first having left around 6 September.  A total of 41 eggs (the second highest number of eggs recorded) had been laid of which 36 hatched, giving a hatching success of 87.8% (click here), and an overall breeding success of 73.2%.

Tiaki spreads her wings, exposing the back-mounted satellite tracker; Royal Cam photograph

The second-last chick to fledge was the one that has been under observation by the live-streaming ‘Royal Cam’.  Named Tiaki, the female bird has been fitted with a GPS satellite tracker, the first chick to be tracked from the colony.   Those interested can follow her at-sea movements here.

Information from Sharyn Broni, the Royal Albatross Centre Facebook Page and from previous posts to ACAP Latest News.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 October 2021

 
Northern Royal Albatross beside its chick, watercolour by Shary Weckwerth for ACAP

 The Conservation Services Programme of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation works to reduce the impact of commercial fishing on protected species in New Zealand fisheries waters.  At regular meetings of the CSP’s Technical Working Group (TWG), reports on ongoing projects are considered, many of which deal with aspects of the biology and conservation of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.  Two final reports tabled at last month’s meeting of the TWG dealt with counts of breeding Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi (globally Endangered and nationally Naturally Uncommon) conducted in the Chatham Islands in 2020.

The reports’ overall summary follows:

“Aerial photographic surveys were carried out in September and December 2020 to provide estimates of the numbers of northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) fledglings and biennial breeding species nest on these islands, the other location being Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin. The population has been assessed sporadically since the 1970s through a mix of ground counts of nesting birds and counts of adults from aerial photographs. Assessments of breeding success have been equally sporadic, typically involving aerial surveys carried out just before the chicks start fledging.

The 2020 trips were timed to coincide with fledging (September) and the start of incubation next breeding season (December). Because individuals breed biennially, two surveys are required to obtain the most accurate overall population estimate. The 3,994 pairs occupying nests in December 2020 (the start of the 2020/21 breeding season) can be added to the 2,043 pairs considered to have fledged a chick the previous year, derived from the September 2020 survey, to give an estimated current adult breeding population of 6,037 pairs. This is similar to the 5,908 pairs estimated by Bell et al. (2017) using the same method. This is ~37% lower than the average recorded in the late-1980s to mid-1990s and 24% lower than that estimated for the mid-1970s. The reasons for this are briefly discussed.

Northern giant petrels (Macronectes halli) were also counted in September 2020, just after the start of this species’ annual breeding season. The counts were highly uncertain: 1,799–2,251 individuals. Comparison of this count with previous ones are complicated by differences in their seasonal timing and difficulties of distinguishing individuals from their backgrounds. Overall, however, they suggest a broadly stable trend. The Chatham Islands populations constitute around 17.5 % of this species’ global population.

To enhance image quality and reduce uncertainty in image interpretation and therefore in future population estimates, several recommendations are made on amending survey features and procedures.”

References:

Frost, P.G.H. 2021a.  Numbers of Northern Royal Albatross chicks on the Chatham Islands, September 2020.  Whanganui: Science Support Services.  17 pp.

Frost, P.G.H. 2021b.  Status of Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi nesting on the Chatham Islands, December 2020.  Whanganui: Science Support Services.  20 pp.

Access both reports from here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 October 2021

An adult Black Petrel rests on the surface at its forest breeding site

NOTE:  This post continues an occasional series that features photographs of the 31 ACAP-listed species, along with information from and about their photographers.  Here, Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Bell of Wildlife Management Ltd writes with feeling of the Black Petrel or Tākoketai Procellaria parkinsoni (both globally and nationally Vulnerable), which she has studied and photographed at its main breeding site in New Zealand for a quarter of a century.

‘Biz’ Bell carefully restrains a Black Petrel during burrow checks, May 2020; photograph by Paul Garner-Richards, Wildlife Management International

Established by my father, the late Brian Bell QSM in 1992, Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL) specialises in seabird research and island restoration around the world.  I now manage WMIL, supported by a team of excellent and passionate ecologists.  We undertake research on several seabirds (including ACAP-listed species) and other bird species to determine their demographics, behaviour and population status and trends, as well as eradicating invasive mammals as part of the New Zealand Predator Free 2050 vision and on islands around the world to protect seabirds and other resident native species.  The Tākoketai/Black Petrel project is one of the longest running seabird research studires still being undertaken by WMIL.

I started working with Tākoketai/Black Petrels on Aotea/Great Barrier Island in 1996 when the late Mike Imber asked me to start a population monitoring project to help determine the status and trends of this iconic New Zealand species.  Little did I know then that I would be still walking up Hirakimata/Mount Hobson each summer over 25 years later and planning to keep doing those trips as long as I physically can.  These birds get under your skin and their personalities and charisma are magic – making it easy to charm fishers and fishing industry management about their importance and of the need to protect them at sea with suitable mitigation measures.

Banding a Black Petrel chick, with help from visiting fishers, May 2021

Visiting the Tākoketai/Black Petrel colony throughout the breeding season means we get the whole picture of their behaviour throughout from pre-egg laying pair bonding to egg laying, incubation, chick rearing and watching the chicks take their maiden flights as they fledge. Following adults as they carefully nurture an egg or small chick is wonderful; how they carefully roll the egg into position and settle on the egg or snuggle the chick underneath them for warmth and safety.  Or the cheek of little unguarded chicks practicing their aggressive moves by honking and snapping at the torch light as we check their status in the breeding burrows, often having to remove small chicks or eggs from the burrow for safety, keeping them warm in field hats, while we check adults for bands.

A Black Petrel is fitted with a back-mounted satellite tracker in October 2020

We have also been adding a range of tracking devices to the birds – through all age classes and at all stages of the breeding cycle as well as on migration to South American waters for the non-breeding over-wintering period.  Data from these devices have helped us understand Tākoketai/Black Petrel behaviour at sea, including the discovery that they can dive up to 34 m while foraging, where they forage during the breeding season, and the migration routes to South American waters followed by both adults and fledglings.  This information can help us determine areas of risk from commercial and recreational fishers and other environmental factors (including climate change and pollution events) within the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, international high seas and in South American waters.

A Black Petrel pair revealed by flash at night

The field work on Aotea is a real mixture of peering into simple, accessible burrows to others that require inserting most of your body, or multiple people working through individual entrances to reach the resident parent or chick.  The island, terrain on the mountain, burrow types, interesting vegetation, and the special nature of the birds themselves makes it impossible not to have a wide range of images, interactions, and crazy memories collected over the course of the long-term study.  It is indeed both a real privilege and a pleasure to be working on Hirakimata/Mount Hobson to understand the behaviour, population dynamics and status of Tākoketai/Black Petrel on behalf of Ngāti Rehua Ngāti Wai ki Aotea and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

A downy Black Petrel chick in its burrow, photographs by ‘Biz’ Bell

Selected Publications:

Bell, E.A. 2016.  Diving behaviour of black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni) in New Zealand waters and its relevance to fisheries interaction.  Notornis 63: 57-65 63: 57-65.

Freeman, R., Dennis, T., Landers, T., Thompson, D., Bell, E., Walker, M. & Guilford, T. 2010.  Black Petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni) patrol the ocean shelf-break: GPS tracking of a Vulnerable procellariiform seabird. PLoS ONE  5(2): e9236. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009236.

Gaskin, C.P., Harrison, P., Baird, K.A., Cunninghame, F., Ismar, S.F.H. & Bell, E.A. 2016.  An opportunistic sighting of a flock of black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni) at Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.  Notornis  63: 54-56.

Imber, M.J., McFadden, I., Bell, E.A. & Scofield, R.P. 2003. Post-fledging migration, age of first return and recruitment, and results of inter-colony translocation of black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni).  Notornis 50: 183-190.

Mischler, C.P., Bell, E.A., Landers, T.J. & Dennis, T.E. 2015.  Sex determination of black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni) using morphometric measurements and discriminant function analysis.  Notornis  62: 57-62.

Quinones, J., Calderon, J., Mayaute, L. & Bell, E. 2020.  Black petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni) congregations at sea off Perú during the Austral summer.  Notornis  67: 573-576.

Zhang, J., Dennis, T.E., Landers, T.J., Bell, E. & Perry, G.L. 2017.  Linking individual-based and statistical inferential models in movement ecology: a case study with black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni).  Ecological Modelling  360: 425-436.

Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Bell, Wildlife Management International Ltd., Blenheim, New Zealand, 01 October 2021