Cameron Tiller (Johnstone Centre, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia) and colleagues writing in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology report on the effects of heavy rain on Short-tailed Puffinus tenuirostris and Wedge-tailed P. pacificus Shearwaters breeding on Montague Island, New South Wales, Australia.
“This paper highlights the value of long-term studies in revealing rare or irregular events in ecology, although more intensive short-term studies may be required to analyse the effect of specific factors.”
Short-tailed Shearwater, photographed by Mark Carey
Reference:
Tiller, C.J., Klomp, N.I., Fullagar, P.J. & Heyligers, P.C. 2013. Catastrophic breeding failure caused by heavy rainfall in a shearwater colony. Marine Ornithology 41: 97-99.
John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 28 July 2013