As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday, 14 December 2015

Getting to know the shy albatross: A scientist's 13-year crusade to save a native Tasmanian sea bird

 By Sam Ikin

Updated yesterday at 10:23pm

Spreading awareness of Tasmania's vulnerable species of sea bird, the shy albatross, is the key to keeping the species alive, a prominent scientist says.
Thalassarche cauta - SE Tasmania.jpg
From climate change, plastic ingestion, habitat loss or feral animals it is not difficult to understand why the shy albatross is somewhat withdrawn.

The native Tasmanian sea bird is currently listed as vulnerable under the Threatened Species Protection Act which why a prominent scientist wants Tasmanians to get to know the shy albatross better.

Species need to have their champions.
Wildlife officer with the Tasmanian parks department, Rachael Alderman, has been studying the giant birds since 2003 and said the data she had collected was not encouraging.

"There's been a general decline in breeding success, for every pair that lay an egg it's getting increasingly less likely that they'll have a surviving chick at the end of the year," she said.

"We're also finding that if they are successful ... fewer and fewer chicks are surviving that first period at sea and making it back."


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