The Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi of Taiaroa Head on New Zealand’s South Island near the city of Dunedin are noteworthy in that they breed on the mainland and can be viewed by the public from the Royal Albatross Centre’s observation building.  The colony and its breeding birds are carefully managed to address such conservation issues as alien predators, fly strike and as the following account from last month shows, overheating.

Northern Royal Albatross pair at Taiaroa Head

“All of Dunedin's albatrosses and their incubating eggs survived Monday's [21 December] heat wave thanks to the breeze and an ingenious sprinkler system.  Taiaroa Head's 29 nesting pairs and their eggs got through the 34.6° C heat unscathed and are due to hatch on 12 January.

Department of Conservation Head Ranger Lyndon Perriman said the wind was a blessing as, on a 20° C day without wind in November, the ground temperature got up to 38° C.  This, combined with the heat of adult birds, created real problems.

The optimal incubation temperature for albatross eggs is 36.4° C, Mr Perriman said.  "The heat [on Monday] certainly didn't help.  The birds were hot but there was [sic] no major concerns.  If there's no wind and the sun is beating down, then that's when the problem comes,'' he said.

A sprinkler system had been devised about five years ago to counter the ground temperature, which was turned on manually when needed.  On Monday, the sprinklers were on, but just for one nest tucked away on the southern side of the headland out of the wind.  "We had an irrigation sprinkler going for a couple of hours,'' Mr Perriman said.  "In the past we've had birds die from heat exhaustion.  If there was no wind, it would have been absolutely diabolical out there.''

The colony started [this season] with 35 eggs, of which 32 were fertile.  Two eggs were lost due to accidental breaking by the nesting parents and the other was an embryonic death related to temperature or infection.”

Source: Otago Daily Times, 23 December 2015.

Last season a total of 32 eggs was laid, resulting in 27 chicks fledging.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 January 2016

Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis breed at a number of coastal localities on the Hawaiian island of Kauai as has been reported in the ACAP Breeding Sites series.  One of the most unusual perhaps is within the suburb of Princeville where birds breed in private gardens and on golf courses.  Most Princeville albatrosses are colour-banded and dedicated “civilian scientists” Cathy Granholm and Bob Waid have been monitoring and reporting on the breeding attempts from nest construction though egg laying and chick rearing to fledging since at least 2011.

This season eggs were first reported laid in Princeville on 24 November, with the first birds arriving from around the 10th (click here).  Follow Cathy’s and Bob’s websites to see how the Princeville Laysans fare this season (and check out previous years).

Laysan Albatrosses gather in a Princeville garden, photograph by Bob Dowd

An “Albatross Cam” directed at a Kauai Laysan Albatross nest is expected to go live in a few weeks for the new season.

Selected reference:

Waid, R. 2005.The Majestic Albatross. Images of Kauai's Beloved Seabirds.  Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. 51 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 January 2016

Rachel Buxton (Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand) and colleagues have published in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology on the recovery of seven species of burrowing petrels (Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia, Flesh-footed Shearwater P. carneipes, Little Shearwater P. assimilis, Sooty Shearwater P. griseus, Grey-faced Petrel Pterodroma macroptera gouldi, Pycroft’s Petrel P. pycrofti and Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix) following eradication of rats on New Zealand islands.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The size and distribution of colonies of burrow-nesting petrels is thought to be limited partly by the availability of suitable breeding habitat and partly by predation.  Historically, the availability of safe nesting habitat was restricted in New Zealand, due to the introduction of rats by humans.  More recently, however, habitat has been restored by rat eradication.  Petrel colony growth is mediated by both positive and negative density dependence, although it is unclear if, or how, density dependence will affect patterns in post-eradication colony recovery.  Here, using burrow density as a proxy for relative abundance, we tested whether petrel colonies increase in density or area after rat eradication by sampling along a chronosequence of (1) five islands from which rats were eliminated 1 to 26 years ago, (2) two islands that never had rats, and (3) an island with rats still present, while controlling for habitat availability.  We also measured a time series of burrow densities in plots on each island to compare temporal changes after rat eradication.  Using Bayesian hierarchical modelling, after controlling for nesting habitat, we found that mean burrow density increased with time since rat eradication.  Burrows remained clustered (i.e. spatially structured), but became more randomly distributed on islands with more time since eradication.  Point density mapping indicated that colony extent increased with time since rat eradication, with colonies filling over 70% of surveyed areas on islands by 25 years after eradication.  Increases in burrow density and colony area, but maintenance of clustered distribution, suggest both positive and negative density dependence may operate during colony expansion. Understanding patterns in petrel colony recovery is important, not only due to the indispensable role of petrels as island ecosystem engineers, reflecting the recovery of ecosystem functioning, but also to help guide post-eradication monitoring strategies.”

Flesh-footed Shearwater, photograph by Barry Baker

Reference:

Buxton, R., Taylor, G., Jones, C., Lyver, P.O’B, Moller, H., Cree, A. & Towns, D. 2016.  Spatio-temporal changes in density and distribution of burrow-nesting seabird colonies after rat eradication.  New Zealand Journal of Ecology 40(1).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 January 2016

Lindsay Young and Eric Vanderwerf (Pacific Rim Conservation, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) have published in ‘Elepaio, journal of the Hawai‘i Audubon Society, on attempts to establish the Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes as a breeding species at Kaena Point on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.  They conclude that chick translocation may be the way to go.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes; BFAL) breeds primarily in the low-lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands where it is vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise.  Establishing additional colonies on high islands is one of the most important conservation actions for this species.  We documented BFAL sightings on Oʻahu from 2003-2015 and describe initial efforts to use social attraction to create a new colony at Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve.  We made observations of BFAL at Kaʻena Point during weekly visits to monitor nesting Laysan Albatrosses (P. immutabilis) from November-June in 2003- 2015 and we used remote trail cameras starting in 2010 to supplement observations.  Social attraction of BFAL consisted of three decoys placed in 2011 and a solar-powered sound system broadcasting BFAL courtship calls in 2015.  Thirty-four BFAL observations occurred at Kaʻena Point from 2006- 2015 and the number of observations increased over time.  Sixteen individuals spent time on the ground and 18 were seen flying over land.  Twenty-seven of 34 observations (79%) occurred after social attraction was initiated and 11 observations occurred during 2015, the year vocalizations first were broadcast.  We banded two birds (one male in 2012 and one female in 2014).  All but two observations were of single birds.  Although visitation appears to have increased following social attraction, BFAL have yet to begin breeding at Kaʻena Point.  More direct actions, such as translocation of chicks, may be needed to initiate new colony formation in the main Hawaiian Islands.”

Hopefully, the recent theft of the sound system and trail cameras (click here) will not set the exercise back unduly.

Black-footed Albatross at Kaena Point, photograph by Lindsay Young

Decoys at Kaena Point, Photograph by Lindsay Young

Reference:

Young, L.C. & Vanderwerf, E.A. 2016.  The beginning of Black-footed Albatross colonization on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.  ‘Elepaio 76(1): 1-4.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 January 2015