Atlantic Au Revoir

It’s another goodbye blog from us today; this time to our Atlantic Petrels. One of the jobs we’ve been working on recently has been to revisit our Atlantic Petrel study burrows to count the number of chicks who have made it to fledging age. This gives us an idea of how successful the breeding season has been. We can compare this to data from previous years to see what is happening in the long term.

Hunting for Atlantic Petrel burrows (David Kinchin-Smith)

Atlantic Petrel burrows are big; one of the signs we look out for (David Kinchin-Smith)

Atlantic Petrels are one of the more mysterious of the birds on Gough, and are also one of the most threatened. They nest underground in large burrows, only returning to the island under cover of darkness. There are many unanswered questions about how these birds live, and how we can protect them. They are endemic to the Tristan island chain, with the overwhelming majority breeding on Gough (around 1.8 million pairs). They are also Critically Endangered. This is mostly because mice predate a large proportion of chicks before they are old enough to fend for themselves. Sadly, very few will ever grow old enough to leave the island and fly out to the Ocean that they are named for. Because such a large proportion are reliant on Gough the threat our mice pose to the species cannot be underestimated. If our population was to disappear, it is likely that Atlantic Petrels would become extinct.

An adult Atlantic Petrel (David Kinchin-Smith)

Atlantic Petrels return to the island around March, and lay one egg towards the end of June, often in the same burrow that they used in previous years. The chicks hatch in August and will not fledge for 135 days, an extraordinarily long time for this size bird.

An Atlantic Petrel chick (Em Witcutt)

More soon on another of our burrow nesters; the Soft-Plumaged Petrel. In the meantime, have a very merry Christmas! 

Em

Gony, Gony, Gone!

Not too many words in this blog. Just some nice pictures to celebrate all things albatross! We’ve just returned from a trip to Gonydale to do a final fledgling count of our Gonys (Tristan albatrosses), and there really weren’t many left. However, as one season draws to a close, the next begins……adult Tristans are returning to Gonydale in some number, pairing up and prospecting for nests. And we should have eggs by the end of the month! 

Pairs which have successfully raised a chick this year will take this next season off in order to moult and recover body condition. That means the adults returning to Gough now will likely be birds which failed to raise a chick in 2016 or were successful last year.We will bring you news (and pictures) of this next season’s Gony chicks once they hatch. Incubation will last some two and a half months and once hatched the chicks will not fly for around eight to nine months!

But in the meantime……..we have our first Sooty Albatross chicks! The first was discovered on 4^th December (also my sister's Birthday!) and chicks have been popping up along Gough's sea cliffs during the last week. Chicks will be brooded for the next couple of weeks and will remain with us until fledging around April/May. So enough words, here are some photos……

David

A Gony family at Gonydale (David Kinchin-Smith)

Still downy a few weeks ago (David Kinchin-Smith)

Not long until take-off (David Kinchin-Smith)

Huge feet! Or small hands.....(David Kinchin-Smith)

Taken at a respectful distance (David Kinchin-Smith)

One proud parent (David Kinchin-Smith)

Our Molly chicks growing fast! (David Kinchin-Smith)

Mini-Molly

Exciting news from the island today… we have our very first Yellow-Nosed Albatross chick!!

STOP PRESS: New-borns on Gough Island (Em Witcutt)

Found during my regular monitoring rounds, it was something of a relief to spot a tiny bundle of grey fluff in place of an egg. The first egg was found on the 22^nd September, and Molly’s usually have to incubate for between 64 and 70 days before the eggs hatch. This means that chicks could have arrived any time from about a week and a half ago, and I’ve been waiting with baited breath! My monitoring colony has 5 chicks, and there are plenty more appearing all over the island. I also came across a good number of eggs in the process of hatching; the chicks hidden inside making very sweet ‘pipping’ noises to their parents, and even some with holes in the eggshell.  Hatching can be a lengthy process, but I’m hoping that many more will have broken free by the time I next visit the colony.

Caught in the act; a hatching egg (Em Witcutt)

Molly chicks are very sweet. Tiny and defenceless at the moment, they are entirely dependent on their parents for food, warmth and protection from the ever-present Skuas, who would sweep them up in an instant if given the opportunity. The adults will continue to take turns in caring for the youngster for now. However, the chicks will grow quickly, and will soon be too big for the Skuas to handle. 

Their parents will then leave them to fend for themselves, and both head out to sea in search of food for their offspring. This change in behaviour is timed to perfection. As the chick grows, so will it’s need for food. Soon enough one adult would no longer be able to satisfy their greedy youngster, and both are needed to meet its demands.

A proud parent examining its prize (Em Witcutt)

Our chicks won’t be leaving us until April, when they may not return to land for eight years. Expect plenty of pictures as they grow…

Ahhhhh.... (Em Witcutt)

Em


PS It's taken so long for the internet to let me load this post that by now we have over 20 chicks!