First Storm-petrel bird discovered in Greece – Birdlife

By Gordon Watson

|26/07/2019, 9:00 pm 

A Storm Petrel bird first tagged over a decade ago in Malta has been found in Greece, BirdLife Malta has said.

The bird conservation body has announced that colleagues from the Hellenic Ornithological Society (BirdLife Greece) had discovered one of the birds first ringed by Birdlife Malta back in 2008, living on the Greek islands.

They say that this is the first documented evidence of the species found in the Eastern Mediterranean and not simply the Central region. This particular Storm-petrel was understood to be 11 years old.

BirdLife Malta states that until now, recent research carried out by the BirdLife Malta’s LIFE+ Malta Seabird Project and LIFE Arċipelagu Garnijam had shown that the bird had been found to migrate from its origin in Filfla to areas along the Spanish coast, Sicily and the Atlantic in the Winter. Research and ringing of the 8,000 breeding pairs on Filfla first began in the late 1960s.

The discovery of the Storm-petrel in Greece was not the oldest bird found. The conservationists state that they have also been able to recapture two of the species which were much older. A 32 year old bird was first discovered in 2013 while a further 29 year old was discovered only a few days ago.

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Rare birds return as isles cull black rats

Mike Merritt

September 22 2017, 12:01am, The Times

Storm petrels have been recorded calling for the first time on a chain of Hebridean islands after thousands of black rats were cleared as part of a £1 million eradication scheme to save seabirds.

The characteristic “churring” of the endangered birds was heard this summer from their breeding burrows, an encouraging sign that the project’s conservation work is paying off in the Shiant Isles and the birds may be nesting.

The EU-funded project by RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Nicolson family — the private owners of the islands — began in 2014 to provide safe breeding grounds for Scotland’s globally threatened seabird populations on the Shiants, in the Minch, five miles off the coast of Harris.

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Community Conservation - helping Scilly's Storm Petrels

The Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project has installed nest boxes on some of St Agnes’ boulder beaches, to help one of England’s rarest seabirds.

Staff and volunteers working on the project hope the nest boxes will encourage Storm Petrels, and make it easier to monitor the birds’ breeding success later in the autumn. 

Storm Petrels, about the size of a sparrow, and which spend most of their lives at sea, are extremely rare in England, confined entirely to the South West. They returned to breed on St Agnes and Gugh for the first time in living memory last year, following the successful eradication of rats from both islands. 

St Agnes and Gugh officially rat-free after last rat was spotted in November 2013

Rats first appeared on the islands following shipwrecks in the 1700s

Rats would attack the eggs and helpless young of nesting seabirds on the islands

Bird populations already starting to recover following year on year declines for 25 years

Jaclyn Pearson, the RSPB’s Isles of Scilly Sea Bird Recovery Project manager, said: “We thank the volunteers involved in making and placing the nest boxes on St Agnes and Gugh. We have recently started monitoring this year’s Storm Petrel chicks, so it’s an exciting time. One of the best things about this project is to know the hard work of so many people has opened up habitat on St Agnes and Gugh, where these amazing seabirds can breed in safety without their eggs or young being eaten by rats.” 

This summer the project team and the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust joined forces to deliver ‘Storm Petrel games’ at the islands popular summer fetes, raising more than £300 towards seabird conservation. And this month members of the community are joining ‘chick-check walks’ so they will be able to record where the chicks of various seabird species will be fledging, and will be able to continue monitoring them for years to come. 

Nikki Banfield, of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, said: “These activities ensured that every member of the family was able to learn about how the project is helping seabirds, including the Storm Petrels, and what they themselves can do to help. We thank everyone who came along to support the cause, and thank you for all the great feedback about the fun that was had playing the ‘find the Storm Petrel map game’ and the ‘Storm Petrel bucket game’.” 

Further reading 

Project to count storm petrels off Pembrokeshire coast

22 June 2016 

A hunt to find a mysterious and rare seabird is set to start off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

Conservationists will search Skokholm and Skomer islands for the storm petrel - the UK's smallest seabird.

They hope to complete a census of the "Quarry" on Skokholm, which is the largest breeding colony in England and Wales.

Warden Richard Brown said the work would be "challenging" and required "careful planning".

The project forms part of the national seabird census.

Storm petrels are notoriously difficult to count but it is thought about 5,000 of the birds breed on Skokholm Island - up to 20% of Europe's breeding population - and a few hundred on Skomer.

Calling sound

Vicky Taylor, who is volunteering to count the birds, said: "We play the sound of a singing storm petrel to a likely nest site and if there's a bird in there it often calls back.

"It's supposed to sound like a fairy being sick but I think it's more like a purring cat with the hiccups."

The distinctive "musty, oily" smell of storm petrels can also reveal a nest, she said.

The project is being carried out by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and the University of Gloucestershire, with funding and support from Natural Resources Wales.

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Rare Seabird Makes Comeback In West Country

3:16pm 16th September 2015

A rare seabird makes a comeback in West Country.

Thanks to two seabird conservation projects, the rare storm petrel has this year made a comeback in the West Country, breeding at new locations on the Isles of Scilly and for a second year on Lundy.

Storm petrels are tiny seabirds, about the size of a sparrow, that spend most of their lives at sea.

They nest in burrows and are extremely rare breeding birds in England - confined entirely to the West Country.

Up until last year the only place they nested was on a few outer rocks and islands in the Isles of Scilly.

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Conservationist's delight at arrival of new bird

This fluffy little chick has given conservationists cause to celebrate after it was found pecking around in Westcountry undergrowth.

The baby storm petrel is the first of its species ever recorded on Lundy Island, off the North Devon coast, and its discovery has provided further evidence that the island’s seabird protection project is making progress.

Bird ringers Luke Phillips, Tony John and Tony Taylor – all members of Lundy Field Society – came across the tiny chick while searching for manx shearwater hatchlings in a west coast colony, and were amazed at the find.

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'Star Wars: Episode VII' filming on Irish island causes flap with bird conservation group

A bird conservation group is feeling a disturbance in the Force as "Star Wars: Episode VII" began filming Monday on a remote Irish island.

As director J.J. Abram's cast and crew hit Skellig Michael — a World Heritage site — bird watchers are crowing over the production timing of the shoot in the midst of mating season for the island's feathered population.

"They've gotten their permissions, but we're curious about what precautions they are taking to protect the nests," Dr. Steve Newton of BirdWatch Ireland told the News.

Newton is particularly concerned about two species of birds — manx shearwaters and storm petrels — that are nocturnal and nest underground in hidden burrows. "The question I would pose to the authorities is, 'How can you assess the impact on these species if you can't even see them?'" Newton said.

The island has been designated a Special Protection Area, although it does attract tourists — 13,221 last year, according to Ireland's Independent newspaper — between May and September.

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Scientists find egg of bird presumed extinct

WELLINGTON: New Zealand scientists announced on Friday they had found the egg of an endangered bird that was presumed extinct for more than a century. 

Researchers found the New Zealand storm petrel egg on Little Barrier Island, off the northeast of the North Island, a year after the birds were tracked to breeding sites on the island. 

Scientists took the opportunity when the female was off the nest to check the egg, which is expected to hatch in April, and record data, Xinhua reported citing a statement issued by New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC) statement. 

"It was exciting to see the egg of a bird once thought to be extinct," Graeme Taylor, DOC principal science advisor, said in a statement leading the team. 

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