David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & Associates Ecological Consultants, Los Gatos, California, USA) and colleagues have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on stomach analyses of fledgling Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli found beneath power lines on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i.

Newell's Shearwater, photograph by Eric Vanderwwerf

The Endangered shearwater’s diet was dominated by ommastrephid squid, although it appears digestion had reduced the role of some other prey species, notably flying fish Exocoetus spp.. The paper concludes:  “Much remains to be learned about the at-sea ecology of the Newell’s Shearwater and how it is affected by fishing, a task made increasingly difficult owing to the continued steep decline in this species’ population on Kaua’i and elsewhere in Hawai’i.”

Reference:

Ainley, D.G., Walker, W.A., Gregory C. Spencer, G.C. & Holmes, N.D. 2014.  The prey of Newell’s Shearwater Puffinus newelli in Hawaiian waters.  Marine Ornithology 44: 69-72.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 June 2014

An aerial census by helicopter in January 2014 has revealed that Disappointment Island in New Zealand’s Auckland Islands supported 452 breeding pairs of Gibson’s Antipodean Albatrosses Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni.

Disappointment Island, photograph by Barry Baker

Gibson's Antipodean Albatross on the Auckland Islands

Photograph by Colin O'Donnell

The photographic survey was undertaken on behalf of the New Zealand Department of Conservation by Latitude 42, an environmental consultancy based in Tasmania.

Click here to read of helicopter-bourne aerial censuses of another species of great albatross, the Wandering D. exulans of South Africa's uninhabited Prince Edward Island. 

Reference:

Baker, G.B. & Jensz, K. 2014.  Gibson’s albatross at Disappointment Island - analysis of aerial photographs. Report prepared for Department of Conservation.   [Kettering]: Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd.   7 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 11 June 2014

Scott Shaffer (Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San Jose, California, USA) and colleagues write in the open-access electronic journal PLoS ONE use miniature loggers in artificial eggs to investigate egg-turning in Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis and two other seabird species.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Egg turning is unique to birds and critical for embryonic development in most avian species.  Technology that can measure changes in egg orientation and temperature at fine temporal scales (1 Hz) was neither readily available nor small enough to fit into artificial eggs until recently.  Here we show the utility of novel miniature data loggers equipped with 3-axis (i.e., triaxial) accelerometers, magnetometers, and a temperature thermistor to study egg turning behavior in free-ranging birds.  Artificial eggs containing egg loggers were deployed in the nests of three seabird species for 1–7 days of continuous monitoring.  These species (1) turned their eggs more frequently (up to 6.5 turns h⁻¹) than previously reported for other species, but angular changes were often small (1–10° most common), (2) displayed similar mean turning rates (ca. 2 turns h⁻¹) despite major differences in reproductive ecology, and (3) demonstrated distinct diurnal cycling in egg temperatures that varied between 1.4 and 2.4°C.  These novel egg loggers revealed high-resolution, three-dimensional egg turning behavior heretofore never measured in wild birds.  This new form of biotechnology has broad applicability for addressing fundamental questions in avian breeding ecology, life history, and development, and can be used as a tool to monitor birds that are sensitive to disturbance while breeding.”

A Laysan Albatross pair changes over incubation duties

Photograph by Bob Waid

Reference:

Shaffer, S.A., Clatterbuck, C.A., Kelsey, E.C., Naiman, A.D., Young, L.C., Vanderwerf, E.A., Warzybok, P., Bradley, R., Jahncke, J. & Bower, G.C. 2014.  As the egg turns: monitoring egg attendance behavior in wild birds using novel data logging technology.  PLoS ONE 9(6): e97898.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097898.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 June 2014

The 15th South African Marine Science Symposium (SAMSS15) will be held in the Konservatorium Building, Department of Music, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa over 15-18 July 2014 with the overall theme ‘Waves of Change – a Southern African Perspective’.

A Special Session entitled ‘Seabird Science and Conservation in Southern Africa’ will be held at SAMSS15.  Accepted papers dealing with aspects of procellariiform seabirds are listed below.

Daniel Danckwerts: The trophic ecology of the Endangered endemic Barau’s Petrel (Pterodroma baraui) at Réunion Island, South-western Indian Ocean

Bokamaso Lebepe: Hook Pods: silver lining for seabirds in pelagic longline fisheries

Bronwyn Maree: Significant reductions in mortality of threatened seabirds in a South Africa trawl fishery

Dominic Rollinson: Diving behaviour of White-chinned Petrels and its relevance for mitigating longline bycatch

Stefan Schoombie: Breeding success and foraging ecology of Sooty and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses on Marion Island

Ross Wanless: Tracking changes for managing tuna longline bycatch on the high seas

A Light-mantled Sooty Albatross guards its chick

Photograph by Rowan Treblico

With thanks to Ross Wanless for information

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 9 June 2014