A Grey-headed Albatross guards its chick on Bird Island in the South Atlantic, photograph by Stephanie Prince

William Mills (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK) and colleagues have published open access in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences on mercury levels in Grey-headed Albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Mercury (Hg) is an environmental contaminant which, at high concentrations, can negatively influence avian physiology and demography. Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) have higher Hg burdens than all other avian families. Here, we measure total Hg (THg) concentrations of body feathers from adult grey-headed albatrosses (Thalassarche chrysostoma) at South Georgia. Specifically, we (i) analyse temporal trends at South Georgia (1989–2013) and make comparisons with other breeding populations; (ii) identify factors driving variation in THg concentrations and (iii) examine relationships with breeding success. Mean ± s.d. feather THg concentrations were 13.0 ± 8.0 µg g⁻¹ dw, which represents a threefold increase over the past 25 years at South Georgia and is the highest recorded in the Thalassarche genus. Foraging habitat, inferred from stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ¹³C), significantly influenced THg concentrations—feathers moulted in Antarctic waters had far lower THg concentrations than those moulted in subantarctic or subtropical waters. THg concentrations also increased with trophic level (δ¹⁵N), reflecting the biomagnification process. There was limited support for the influence of sex, age and previous breeding outcome on feather THg concentrations. However, in males, Hg exposure was correlated with breeding outcome—failed birds had significantly higher feather THg concentrations than successful birds. These results provide key insights into the drivers and consequences of Hg exposure in this globally important albatross population.”

With thanks to Richard Phillips.

Reference:

Mills, W.F., Bustamante, P., McGill, R.A.R., Anderson, O.R.J., Bearhop, S., Cherel, Y., Votier, S.C. & Phillips, R.A. 2020.  Mercury exposure in an endangered seabird: long-term changes and relationships with trophic ecology and breeding success.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2683.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 January 2021

Westland Petrel fallout victim near Greymouth

New Zealand’s endemic globally Endangered and ACAP-listed Westland Petrel Procellaria westlandica breeds only in a single locality near the community of Punakaiki on the west coast of South Island.  Fledglings heading for sea at night become disoriented by the street lights in Punakaiki and crash-land on the roads, where they are often severely injured, struck by cars or eaten by predators.  To reduce this a trial project has led to bright LED lights being switched off along a 3.4-km section of the state highway for two months from 8 November to 8 January during which time fledging occurs (click here).

The Westland Petrel Conservation Trust reports that “turning off the street lights this fledgling season has proven to be a great success for the Westland petrels. This year was proposed as a pilot run, but with such positive results we're optimistic that it can become a permanent solution.”  With the street lighting turned off in Punakaiki, 10 of the birds had crash landed there, instead of the usual 15 to 25, according to one report.

However, the trust also says that although the problem has been lessened in Punakaiki, it was now worse 44 km farther south in the town of Greymouth where highway lights have not been switched off.  The Department of Conservation (DOC) has so far found 22 downed petrels in Greymouth of which “17 were able to be released, four were found dead and one was euthanised”.  This is about twice the usual number picked up “10 being the highest number previously, and for the first time they were found in the centre of town”.

Most downings in Greymouth are considered linked to lighting, including lights on businesses and other private properties.  “Where petrels have come down … we have talked with property owners and others with lights in the area to ask about lights being turned off, where possible.”  LED streetlights were introduced in Greymouth last year.  A spokesperson for the district council said it was looking into whether it was possible to turn the lights down or change the colour tone to orange (click here).

A Westland Petrel in its burrow

Photographs by Bruce Stuart-Menteath, Chair, Westland Petrel Conservation Trust

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 January 2021

In 2019 the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels declared that a conservation crisis continues to be faced by its 31 listed species, with thousands of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters dying every year as a result of fisheries operations.  To increase awareness of this crisis ACAP inaugurated a World Albatross Day, to be held annually on 19 June.  In early 2020 Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) artists produced artworks illustrating the 22 albatross species that were used to support ‘WAD2020’.

This year as a separate exercise to this year’s planned World Albatross Day activities, which will once more be centred on albatrosses, ACAP has asked ABUN to paint the nine ACAP-listed petrels and shearwaters*.  ABUN Project #35: Painting Petrels in Peril starts today and will run for two months to the end of February.  As in 2020 ACAP will be hugely grateful for the support it continues to receive from the ABUN artists and will use the artworks to illustrate website posts, to make freely downloadable high-quality posters and for other ACAP products.

To be painted soon?  A Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea, Rapa Island, French Polynesia, photograph by Hadoram Shirihai

With thanks to ABUN founder Kitty Harvill and all those who have made their photographs available to inspire the artists.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 4 January 2021

*Southern Giant Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Spectacled Petrel, Grey Petrel, Black Petrel, Westland Petrel, White-chinned Petrel, Pink-footed Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater.

 A Laysan Albatross within the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge; photograph by Jacqueline Olivera

The Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Kauai supported a total of 116 pairs of Laysan Albatrosses or Mōlī Phoebastria immutabilis in the 2019/20 breeding season, from which 44 chicks fledged to give a breeding success of 37.9%.  Introduced predators such as feral cats and pigs likely contributed to this low percentage, confirming the need for a new predator-proof fence (click here).

Latest news from the national wildlife refuge’s Facebook page is that there are 126 Mōlī nests within the refuge this season, ten more than in the previous season.  Let’s hope breeding success inceases as well.  In the 2018/19 season 121 active nests were counted in December.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 January 2020