Jean-Baptiste Thiebot (Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, Villiers-en-bois, France) and colleagues have written in the journal Polar Biology on the curious case of recapturing an albatross at its Amsterdam Island breeding site with a message added to its leg by a longliner at sea.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Commercial fisheries currently pose a serious threat at sea to the conservation of a number of pelagic seabirds.  However, these interactions are complex, and reports on population-specific bycatch in the high seas are scarce.  Here we report the case of an Indian yellow-nosed albatross Thalassarche carteri re-sighted on Amsterdam Island after an apparent capture by an Indonesian long-liner, as indicated by a message attached to the bird.  This record demonstrates that Amsterdam birds may interact with long-liners indeed, at least during winter, and that such interactions are not systematically lethal.  We suggest that bycatch sub-lethal effects should be investigated at colonies with high risks of individual capture at sea.”

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, photograph by Peter Ryan

Reference:

Thiebot, J.-B., Demy, J., Marteau, C. & Weimerskirch, H. 2015.  The rime of the modern mariner: evidence for capture of yellow-nosed albatross from Amsterdam Island in Indian Ocean longline fisheries.  Polar Biology DOI 10.1007/s00300-015-1680-5.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 March 2015

Welcome news from the Chatham Island Taiko Trust is that this season’s cohort of translocated Vulnerable Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita chicks have survived Cyclone Pam.

In the first year of the project 50 chicks from the Pyramid breeding colony all fledged successfully after being artificially fed at the translocation site at Point Gap, on the south-west coast of Main Chatham (click here).

In the current breeding season 40 chicks were transferred to Point Gap (click here).

The 2015 cohort gets settled into their artificial nests and are hand-fed squid

Photographs courtesy of the Chatham Island Taiko Trust

The cyclone has given the Chatham Islands “a hammering” with damage reported across the island but the albatross chicks are “holding out alright” and made it made it through the night of the storm of 15/16 March.  The storm brought winds up to 140 km/h to the islands prompting the declaration of a civil defence emergency.  Downed trees cut power, although no major damage was reported.

Follow news of the chicks on the Trust's Facebook Page.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 February 2015

An adult Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis blind in its left eye has been seen in the north-east of Kauai, one of the USA’s Hawaiian Islands, for the last two breeding seasons.  The bird has been observed courting on a private property but had not as yet commenced breeding (click here).

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One eye good enough? The courting bird on the right is half blind, photographs by Hob Osterlund

It has now returned to the island for the third year in a row.  The bird was seen to be engaging in brief courtship activities and calling to birds flying by.  It will be interesting to see if it is successful in attracting a partner this time.  It is thought that the blindness, and a minor cossed bill, could have been caused by avian pox contracted from mosquitoes when the albatross was a young chick – which would mean it had survived for several years with only one good eye before becoming a prospecting adult.

With thanks to Hob Osterlund for information and the photographs.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 March 2015

ACAP Latest News has been receiving daily reports by e-mail of progress with helicopter baiting the southern part of South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)* as Phase 3 of the ambitious plan by the South Georgia Heritage Trust to eradicate rodents over the whole island moves towards completion.

Team Rat’s latest report for 14 March is given below in full.  With 80% of the Phase 3 target area baited and the smaller species of birds returning, things are starting to look positive for success, following a long period of poor weather that did not allow flying this and last month.

Air-lifting bait pods to the island

“Dawn this morning revealed that rare thing on South Georgia - a clear, starry sky - and Team Rat was in the air shortly afterwards, heading for the southernmost FOB at Wirik Bay to see if conditions were similarly promising there. They were.

And so started a bad day for some of the most southerly rats in the world.   We sowed 26 pods from that site, completed an area of land we're calling Cooper East, and started Cooper Island before wind and rain swept in and brought a rapid end to events by early evening. In the three weeks prior to Friday we managed just 20% of the Phase 3 target, and anxiety was beginning to creep in, but in the past 3 days we have suddenly jumped another 20%, and now stand at just over 80% of the target accomplished.”

“Today in front of Larsen House I saw a flock of four pipits [South Georgia Pipit Anthus antarcticus]- further confirmation that this charming SG endemic is coming back in strength as a result of the Habitat Restoration Project.  And, on the water not 10 metres away from the pipits, all day long I've been entranced by 15 Wilson's storm petrels [Oceanites oceanicus]. Just like the pipits, storm petrels can't breed successfully when rats are present, and this unprecedented number of birds in front of the base here at KEP [King Edward Point]  may well indicate that the species is already exploring local scree slopes for future nesting opportunities.  The birds really are reclaiming this island, even while we're still here finishing the job of removing their persecutors.”

Wilson's Storm Petrel, Photograph by Tony Martin

Baiting on the afternoon of the 15th following a night and morning of bad weather has now taken coverage up to 84%.  Team Rat reports "another one and a half days flying should see us done - we have about 45 loads of bait left to spread."  Poor weather again stopped flying on the 16th, but good weather is forecast for the coming weekend.  Let's hope so!

Click here to access Team Rat’s monthly newsletters.

With thanks to Anthony Martin, Director, South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project for information and photographs.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 March 2015

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.