Life on the Edge

Sooty Albatrosses (or 'Peeoos' to the Tristanians).....slightly manic looking or stunning? I definitely think the latter. Actually, perhaps a combination of the two. It is estimated that Gough is home to around 5,000 pairs of sootys which equates to about a third of the global population; this makes the island the most important site for the species in the world!

A very striking profile (© David Kinchin-Smith)

On Gough the sootys nest on the sea cliffs and inland crags up to heights of 400-500m. On Tristan they can be found nesting well above 1000m! Each year the pairs nesting along the sea cliffs to the south of base are monitored for productivity, and this year I’m very fortunate to be continuing this research. Nests are remarkable structures, constructed with the bill and resembling a muddy chimney pot. Pairs of birds are highly affectionate, knocking their bills together and preening each other on a regular basis. Paired birds will also fly alongside, matching the other’s movements in perfect synchrony. It is possible to see the birds watching each other very closely during these beautiful flights in order to mirror each other exactly.

Pairs flying in perfect synchrony (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Sootys on Gough are busy incubating for now and they will continue to do so until sometime in the middle of December when hatching begins. A single egg is laid in October and it is incubated for around 10 weeks, with parents sharing the responsibility; adults may have shifts lasting close to two weeks whilst the other bird heads out to sea to feed up. At the moment I am visiting my nests each week and I record which bird is incubating (as they possess a unique number on a leg ring) and if there have been any nest failures. December is going to be very exciting month when chicks start appearing!

A monitored nest and what a view! (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Eggs now, chicks in December (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Chicks will remain on their chimney pot nests for around 5 months, until they fledge in May. Fortunately, Sootys do not suffer from the horrendous mouse predation on Gough that the Tristan Albatrosses do. However, the species is Endangered, mainly from birds drowning from long-line fishing practices; they mistake baited hooks for live prey and are dragged under. A fairly hard-hitting statistic is that the population on Gough has halved in the last 30 years. But something is being done! Marine Protected Areas are going somewhere towards combating such declines, amongst other things. Please find out more at: https://acap.aq/

David

Reference.

Cuthbert, R. & Sommer, E. (2004) Gough Island Bird Monitoring Manual Research Report. Published by the RSPB Conservation Science Department - RSPB Research Report No. 5

Ryan, P. et al. (2007) Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island

Molly Monitoring

Part of our work out here includes the regular monitoring of several species, the data from which helps us to build a long-term picture of what is happening on Gough. Three of these species are near to the Base, so we each take responsibility for one. Mine are the Atlantic Yellow-Nosed Albatrosses or Mollys to the Tristanians. Although much smaller than the Tristan Albatross (with a wingspan of two metres rather than three), they are almost as majestic and, I think, the loveliest bird on the island.

A Molly sitting tight on its nest (Em Witcutt)

Their most characteristic feature is a long black bill with a bright yellow stripe along the top, fading to bright pink at the very tip. They also have beautifully smoky eyes and a golden stripe extending from their bill, which is only visible when they display, either in aggression or to their mate.

Beautiful bird! (Em Witcutt)

Showing off his golden stripe; 'Get away from my egg!' (Em Witcutt)

These displays are fascinating to watch, and have been a frequent sight recently as the birds are now paired up and have laid their eggs in their impressive, pedestal-like nests. Displaying between pairs begins with the birds bowing to one another, fanning their tails, flashing their gape stripe and calling loudly. They also ‘bill-point’ and preen one another. Pairs will stay together for many years, unless they fail to breed successfully or one mate doesn’t return. When one of the pair returns to the nest after feeding at sea, they always seem so excited to see their mate. They are very affectionate towards one another and will spend a good deal of time displaying and preening before swapping parental duties so that the other of the pair can head off to feed.

A happy couple preening one another (David Kinchin-Smith)

My job is to find and mark each nest in our long-term study colony, and to keep an eye on every pairs breeding attempt over the course of the season. Easy, except that Yellow-Nosed Albatrosses are excellent at hiding, choosing thick Phylica trees to build their nests in. We have 63 nests in the study colony; 18 more than last year. Certain characters are already shining through, such as C41, whose unwelcoming disposition has already earned her the nickname ‘Snappy’. I suspect this pairs egg will be fiercely protected, but more on their fortunes in a later post. We’re expecting the first chick towards the end of November, I can’t wait!

Eyeing Snappy warily... (David Kinchin-Smith)

Em 

The Great Tristan Albatross Count

One of the many jobs during the change-over period, and perhaps the most important, is the round-island count of Tristan Albatross fledglings. These counts are vitally important for this Critically Endangered species, endemic to the Tristan Group of islands. They are also an opportunity for the new team (that’s us!) to learn our way around the island.

A young Tristan Albatross growing fast....and a bird we counted! (© David Kinchin-Smith)

So firstly, some background about Tristan Albatrosses (or Gonys, as they are referred to by the Tristanians). Gough Island is home to 99% of the world population, with a pair occasionally nesting on Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Group. They previously nested on Tristan but became extinct from the island by 1900. Between 1,000 and 2,500 pairs nest on Gough each year, but on average only about a quarter of chicks survive until fledging; in 2014 this was less than 10% (RSPB – Gough Island Restoration Programme). This is well below the productivity required to sustain the population, let alone increase it. The main cause of the mortality on Gough is the introduced House Mice, which feed on the young, defenceless, downy chicks. This is an annual reminder of why a successful mouse eradication is essential to prevent the dramatic decline of this, and many other spectacular bird species that Gough is home to. If these mice aren’t wiped out from the island, the extinction of the majestic Gony is an eventual certainty (please read: http://www.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details.aspx?id=419512). 

Tristan Albatross adult with young chick (© Derren Fox)

As for our counts.....Gough is not a huge island, being only 13km long and 5 km wide, but the vegetation and mountainous terrain make it very difficult to walk across. With ever-changing South Atlantic weather, fog can quickly descend over the higher ground making navigation a bit of a nightmare. Tristan Albatrosses only nest above 400m on Gough, and dense fog meant that the first day of our count was a bit of a write-off. But days 2 and 3 brought clear weather and perfect counting conditions allowing us to cover a large proportion of the island. Last week we returned to the North end of the island to finish off the areas that were fog-bound previously. Our counts revealed a similar story to the annual average, but a long way from the lows of 2014 which was a relief.

Gough Island with our count route marked in red (© Gough Island archive)

We will be doing another round-island count towards the end of January 2017. This time it will be to count all incubating birds before repeating it again in September (for the Gough 63 team) to see which pairs successfully fledged a chick. With eggs laid in January and chicks not departing until near the end of the year, adults only breed every other year in order to recover from a long and challenging breeding season.

David

Reference.

Ryan, P. et al. (2007) Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island

Day 1 – Dropped at the North end of the island by helicopter (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Day 1 – Waterfall Camp in the middle of the island (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Day 2 – Traversing the Rowetts with Hag’s Tooth just right of centre (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Day 2 – Descending into Gonydale (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Night 2 – A Tristan chick....at night....in snow!!! (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Day 3 – Waking up at Gonydale campsite with fresh snow on the hills (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Day 4 – Returning home – A Molly looking towards Base and the Agulhas (© David Kinchin-Smith)

Settling in...

The first few weeks of each new teams’ arrival on Gough coincides with the last few weeks of the previous teams’ stay. The idea is that each team passes on their knowledge and experience to the next before officially handing over the island into our care.

The team of scientists out on Gough for our first few weeks (Derren Fox)

Our arrival on the island seemed very sudden after so long in preparations and training. One very short, adrenaline-filled helicopter ride between the boat and Base, and we were delivered into the waiting hands of Derren Fox, Chris Taylor and Jan Bradley. The following days were a blur of new and exciting experiences which left our heads spinning, but hopefully full of all the information we would need over the following year. 

Here are a few of my highlights:

Exploring the island (David Kinchin-Smith)

Finding the first Atlantic Yellow-Nosed Albatross egg of the year (Em Witcutt)

Weighing Rockhopper Pemguins (Em Witcutt)

Meeting baby Fur Seals (Em Witcutt)

Being introduced to Prion Cave (David Kinchin-Smith)

The 25^th September arrived all too soon. The S.A. Agulhas was due to leave for Cape Town, taking with it the old team and leaving us to find our feet; alone on Gough for the first time.

The S.A.Agulhas headed back to Cape Town with last years team (David Kinchin-Smith)

With goodbyes said, final questions asked and phone numbers exchanged, the final helicopter flight left and a strange silence settled on those left behind. This was it. A year on one of the most remote islands on Earth, with only one another for company. What did the coming months have in store? We’ll let you know as we find out…

More from David in a few days about another highlight of our training on Gough; the round island count.

Em

Cape Town to Gough

Sorry about the delay for this first posting, but living in the middle of the South Atlantic isn’t particularly conducive to a reliable internet signal!

Anyway, we begin.......


After training with the DEA (Department of Environmental Affairs) in Cape Town for two weeks, we were finally ready to board the mighty Agulhas. After an interesting send-off ceremony on the quayside, (we were called by name to process down the gangplank of the Agulhas one at a time), we set sail from Cape Town on the afternoon of 1^st September.

We spent the following eight days at sea, not sighting land again until we arrived at Tristan da Cunha on 7^th September. The next day and a half was spent unloading cargo and passengers - Tristanians returning home to their friends and family, and a lucky few visitors moving onto the island to live for the next few weeks, or in some cases months. On the afternoon of 8^th September we continued on our way, passing Inaccessible Island and Nightingale, the latter of which had a field team deposited onto it for the next 5 months. And then we sailed on overnight, arriving at our final destination and home for the next 13 months the next day, Gough Island!

I will leave any further descriptions of the voyage as pictures will hopefully do it more justice. Even with a bit of seasickness at the start, the journey to Gough was spectacular, followed all the way by a range of stunning seabirds and passing the remotest and most beautiful islands in the world.......  

Leaving Cape Town (©David Kinchin-Smith)

Onboard the Agulhas (©David Kinchin-Smith)

Tristanians returning home (©David Kinchin-Smith

Tristan da Cunha with a snowy Queen Mary’s Peak (©David Kinchin-Smith)

A passing Black-browed Albatross (©David Kinchin-Smith)

Nightingale Island (left) & Inaccessible Island (far right) (©David Kinchin-Smith)

Gough Island – spot the base! (©David Kinchin-Smith)

Our home for the next 13 months (©David Kinchin-Smith)

David