Westland Petrel; photograph by Susan Waugh

Susan Waugh (Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Wellington, New Zealand) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on storms affecting globally Endangered and nationally Naturally Uncommon Westland Petrels Procellaria westlandica at their sole breeding site.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The density and distribution of Westland Petrel burrows was assessed over a 12-year period (2007-2019).  During that time, burrow density increased while occupancy remained stable, commensurate with an annual population growth rate of 1.022 (95% confidence interval: 0.971-1.076), as estimated using mark recapture data.  From our surveys, we estimated a 2019 baseline population of ~6 200 breeding pairs and a world population of 13 800-17 600 individuals, covering around 95% of the population.  Transects were conducted to establish the location and density of 17 petrel sub-colonies in rugged, untracked terrain in Paparoa National Park, West Coast, New Zealand. Major storms in 2014-2018 caused widespread treefall and landslides, destroying breeding habitat throughout the species' breeding range. Demographic effects of the major and ongoing habitat loss may continue in the medium to long term, as birds re-establish burrows and partnerships following loss of their habitat. Our study illustrates the complex effects of climate-related disruption on the biology of a long-lived species. With a single nesting area in the West Coast region, climate change will likely have an ongoing influence on the species' global population, since an increase in the frequency of severe weather events, including ex-tropical cyclones, is expected. However, current indications suggest that the species has some flexibility to adapt and to occupy new areas following habitat disturbance.”

Reference:

Waugh, S.M, Barbraud, C., Delord, K., Simister, K.L.J., Baker, G.B., Hedley, G.K., Wilson, K.-J. & Rands, D.R.D. 2020.  Trends in density, abundance, and response to storm damage for Westland Petrels Procellaria westlandica, 2007-2019.  Marine Ornithology 48: 273-281.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 November 2020

Satellite tracks of Black Petrels prior to egg laying

Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Bell, Kelvin Floyd and Samantha Ray of Wildlife Management International have recently attached satellite transmitters (Telonics Inc TAV-2617) to 10 ACAP-listed Black Petrels Procellaria parkinsoni in the Mount Hobson /Hirakimata study colony on New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island/Aotea.  The devices are currently tracking pre-laying exodus flights of the nationally and globally Vulnerable petrel, endemic to New Zealand.

A satellite tracker is attached to a Black Petrel

The Black Petrel is one of two ACAP-listed species up for election this year in New Zealand’s annual Bird of the Year competition (‘BOTY2020’); the other being the Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis.  The competition is now open until 15 November.  You can vote preferentially for up to five birds, so vote for both!

"The light green bird (H-34843) is just less than halfway between New Zealand and South America sitting currently at 4200 km away from Great Barrier Island - not too far from Rapa Iti (French Polynesia)"

Information from Wildlife Management International’s Facebook Page and 'Biz' Bell, with thanks.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 09 November 2020

“Mr & Mrs Lime” interact at their nest site

Globally Endangered and nationally Naturally Uncommon Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi have been returning to breed at New Zealand’s Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on the mainland of South Island and egg laying has commenced.  For the sixth time, since 2015/16, the fortunes of a breeding pair will be followed through the season by ‘Royal Cam’, a 24-hour live-streaming camera operated by the Department of Conservation with the Cornell Lab for Ornithology.

Northern Royal Albatrosses female LGL (lime-green-lime colour leg bands) and male LGK (lime-green-black) or “Mr & Mrs Lime” to their avid cam followers, form an established pair that last bred in the 2018/19 season, and are now making their third attempt.   They were then also watched by the Royal Cam, raising their chick, named Karere (‘messenger’ in Te Reo Māori), which successfully fledged last year on 23 September, 243 days after hatching (the egg was laid on 6 November 2018).  The pair has now built a reasonably substantial nest which is currently hidden from the camera by long grass.

The female hatched in 2008 (2007/08 season); the male is from the following season (2008/09).  They were first-time breeders in the 2017/18 season when their egg failed, allowing them to change demi-populations and breed the next year (see the family histories of all the Royal Cam pairs here).  If breeding successfully royal albatrosses miss a year as biennial breeders.

The Royal Cam

According to Sharyn Broni a decision as to which breeding pair will be followed by the Royal Cam through the season will only be made once egg laying in the colony is completed (as of today eight eggs had been laid in the colony).   Might it be Mr and Mrs Lime in front of the camera for a second time?

Click here for the outcome of the 2019/20 breeding season.

"Relive the marathon breeding season of a Northern Royal Albatross family nesting at the Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve in 2019–20. Join male "OGK" and female "YRK" as they raise their star chick "Atawhai" from a big-billed fluffball into a giant ocean wanderer during an 8-month nesting period on New Zealand's South Island"

With thanks to Sharyn Broni, Ranger, Biodiversity, New Zealand Department of Conservation.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 November 2020

Underwater setter for a manually baited bottom longliner; photograph from the report

David Goad (Via Maris Ltd, Papamoa, New Zealand) and colleagues have reported to the Conservation Service Programme of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation on research conducted on project BCBC2018-01 Development of underwater line setters for use in bottom longline fisheries.

The report’s abstract follows:

“Two similar designs for setting manually baited bottom longlines underwater were developed and improved over the course of 13 trips to sea on three snapper longline vessels.

Both designs employed a similar concept with a towed wheel or guide used to force the mainline to a depth of 7 – 10 m, approximately 20 m behind the vessel. The setters were held at depth using a lead weight, and a hinged arm and paravane were used to provide stability and to separate the tow cable from the longline.

Matching snood clip and wheel design so that hooks were guided beside the wheel showed promise, though further work is needed to achieve this consistently and to reliably deploy floats and weights.

The setter with a guide was improved iteratively and sanma and squid baits were successfully deployed at depth. Pilchard baits were more fragile and loss rates, even before entering the setter, were unacceptably high.

Initially, gear was deployed at high mainline tension as this provided better angles of attack for the mainline entering the setter, greater mainline retention, and deeper deployment depths at speed. However, setting baits at depth with high mainline tension returned lower catch rates and higher bait return rates than gear set normally, with minimal mainline tension. Deploying gear through the setter with a guide at low mainline tension improved catch rates but produced more curvature in the mainline between the vessel and the setter, which required some trade off in speed and achievable depth.

Further work is necessary to accurately measure and control mainline tension, and to investigate optimal setter configuration to maximise deployment depth, setting speed, and catch rates at low mainline tension.

Underwater setting has the potential to allow fishers to reduce risk to birds and meet government mitigation standards by settings lines below 10 m depth within 50 m of the stern of the vessel, without substantially altering fishing operations.”

Reference:

Goad, D., Kellian, D. & Kiddie, B. 2020.  Development of underwater line setters for use in bottom longline fisheries. BC2018-01 Final Report Prepared for the Department of Conservation by Vita Maris.  [Papamoa: Vita Maris]. 41 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 November 2020