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Reproductive Success of the Providence Petrel Pterodroma Solandri on Lord Howe Island, Australia Summary

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Reproductive Success of the Providence Petrel Pterodroma Solandri on Lord Howe Island, Australia Summary Bester et al.: The Providence Petrel on Lord Howe Island 21 REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF THE PROVIDENCE PETREL PTERODROMA SOLANDRI ON LORD HOWE ISLAND, AUSTRALIA ADAM J. BESTER1,2, DAVID PRIDDEL3, NICHOLAS I. KLOMP1, NICHOLAS CARLILE3 & LISA E. O’NEILL1 1Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, New South Wales, 2640, Australia 2Current address: Arid Recovery, PO Box 150, Roxby Downs, SA 5725, Australia ([email protected]) 3Department of Environment and Climate Change, PO Box 1967, Hurstville, New South Wales, 2220, Australia Received 3 October 2006, accepted 1 April 2007 SUMMARY BESTER, A.J., PRIDDEL, D., KLOMP, N.I., CARLILE, N. & O’NEILL, L.E. 2007. Reproductive success of the Providence Petrel Pterodroma solandri on Lord Howe Island, Australia. Marine Ornithology 35: 21–28. The only significant breeding locality of the Providence Petrel Pterodroma solandri is Lord Howe Island, Australia, where the population is considered Vulnerable. During the 2000 and 2001 breeding seasons, data were collected on hatching, fledging and breeding success, and on egg and chick mortality. Annual breeding success was 34%–36% in burrows that were visited repeatedly and among adults and chicks handled at least once, and 54% in burrows that were visited only twice and contents not handled. The breeding success of individual adults was positively correlated with body condition, the relationship being stronger for males than for females. Egg losses occurred throughout the incubation period, but chick losses were concentrated within the first four weeks from hatching. Egg and chick mortality were strongly correlated with the distance of the nest from the burrow entrance, with more losses occurring in nests close to the entrance. The main causes of breeding failure were inundation of burrows and predation of eggs and chicks by the endemic Lord Howe Woodhen Gallirallus sylvestris. Although breeding success was less than that of some other procellariiforms, we were unable to identify any new conservation measures to enhance reproductive output. Key words: Providence Petrel, Pterodroma solandri, breeding success, predation, Lord Howe Woodhen, body condition index (BCI), investigator disturbance INTRODUCTION the island in 1981, pigs greatly reduced the lowland colonies of Providence Petrel (Miller 1980, Miller & Mullette 1985). The Ship The only significant breeding locality of the Providence Petrel or Black Rat Rattus rattus arrived on the island in 1918 when the Pterodroma solandri is Lord Howe Island, Australia, where about supply ship Makambo was deliberately beached after sustaining 32 000 pairs currently breed (Bester 2003). The species was once damage from a collision with submerged rocks (Hindwood 1940). numerous on Norfolk Island, but no longer breeds there. In 1790, Rats are believed to have been responsible for the extinction of H.M.S. Sirius sank on its way to resupply the island’s newly five endemic species or races of island songbirds and the decline established penal colony. That year, Norfolk’s garrison and convicts of several others on Lord Howe (Hindwood 1940). Their impact avoided starvation by slaughtering more than 171 000 nesting on the Providence Petrel has never been assessed. Masked Owls Providence Petrels and their young (Whitley 1934). Further hunting, Tyto novaehollandiae were introduced onto the island in the late together with depredations by feral Domestic Pigs Sus scrofa, saw 1920s to control the rats (Hindwood 1940). This attempt at biologic the entire population of petrels extirpated by 1800 (Whitley 1934). control was unsuccessful, and the population of owls that became The species was thought to be extinct within the Norfolk Group established now preys upon several species of seabirds, including until, in 1985, a small population of approximately 20 birds was the Providence Petrel (Miller & Mullette 1985). discovered breeding on Philip Island (Hermes et al. 1986). Of these introduced predators, only the pigs have been removed. In view of its restricted breeding distribution, the Providence Petrel The impact that each of the remaining species has on the Providence is classified as Vulnerable in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Petrel population is unknown. In addition, two endemic and Species (IUCN Species Survival Commission 2007). Because no threatened species, the Lord Howe Woodhen Gallirallus sylvestris detailed studies have been conducted on the Providence Petrel, little and Lord Howe Pied Currawong Strepera graculina crissalis, have is known about its breeding ecology or population demography. been recorded taking Providence Petrel eggs and chicks (Disney Without this information, any threatening processes operating on Lord 1977, Miller & Mullette 1985, Hutton 1991). The extent of this Howe Island are likely to go unidentified and unmitigated, potentially predation is also unknown. exposing the petrel to the risk of further population decline. The present study investigated the hatching, fledging and breeding Early settlers introduced pigs to Lord Howe Island as a food resource success of Providence Petrels on Lord Howe Island during two around 1800 (Miller & Mullette 1985), and feral populations soon consecutive breeding seasons. The potential adverse effect of established (Hutton 1991). Before they were eradicated from investigator disturbance was examined, as was the relationship Marine Ornithology 35: 21–28 (2007) 22 Bester et al.: The Providence Petrel on Lord Howe Island between adult body condition and breeding success. The causes Sampling of land-based mortality were identified and the potential impact of Our study was conducted over two consecutive years: 2000 and these threats on the petrel population was assessed. 2001. In both years, the study commenced shortly after egg-laying and concluded around the time of fledging (22 May to 28 October METHODS 2000, 29 May to 14 October 2001). In May of each year, the study area was randomly searched to locate petrel burrows; these were then Study sites inspected by hand, and their contents recorded. Each burrow that Lord Howe Island (31°30′S, 159°05′E) is an oceanic island of contained an egg (n = 272 in 2000, n = 171 in 2001) was marked 1455 ha, located in the Tasman Sea approximately 580 km east with a numbered plastic tag. During this initial visit, any adult of the Australian mainland. Two large mountains, Mount Gower present in the burrow was removed and banded with an individually (875 m) and Mount Lidgbird (777 m), dominate the landscape. numbered metal band. Mass, bill length, tarsus length and wing Providence Petrels nest predominantly on the summits of these length (maximum flattened straightened wing chord) were measured two mountains, although small scattered colonies occur at lower using techniques described by Lowe (1989). Eggs were also removed elevations. In 2000, two colonies were sampled: the large colony from the burrow, measured and weighed. Data on egg size and mass on the summit of Mount Gower and the much smaller colony at are to be published elsewhere. A graduated flexible probe was used the western foot of Mount Lidgbird (Fig. 1). In 2001, only the to measure the distance from the centre of the nest to the burrow colony on Mount Gower was sampled. Both sites are regularly entrance to the nearest 5 cm. Not all nests were at the rear of the baited for rats to reduce the losses of palm seed, a resource that is burrow, and so where practicable, the total length of the burrow was commercially harvested and exported. Rainfall data was extracted also measured. Eggs and adults were then returned to the burrow. from the records of the meteorology station on Lord Howe Island. Marked burrows were inspected at 10-day intervals, and their Breeding biology contents were recorded. Minor departures from this sampling regime The Providence Petrel is a burrow-nesting seabird that breeds during occurred to avoid handling birds when it was raining. Marked the austral winter, with adults arriving on Lord Howe Island in late burrows on Mount Gower were initially divided into two categories February and March (Hindwood 1940, McKean & Hindwood 1965). according to the level of investigator disturbance. “High disturbance” Observations indicate that breeding occurs at the same time each year burrows (n = 57 in 2000, n = 58 in 2001) were those where, at each (Whitley 1934; Fullagar, P.J., Clark, R. & Bell, R. cited in Marchant inspection, adults and chicks (if present) were removed from the & Higgins 1990). Females lay a single egg in mid- to late May burrow, identified and weighed. At each inspection, chicks were (Whitley 1934), which is not replaced if lost. The incubation period measured (bill, tarsus and wing lengths) in the same way as described is approximately 55 days, and the parents share incubation duties above for adults. Data on chick growth rates are to be published (Bester 2003). Hatching typically starts in mid-July, and most chicks elsewhere. “Low disturbance” burrows (n = 215 in 2000, n = 56 have fledged by November (Marchant & Higgins 1990). No detailed in 2001) were also inspected approximately every 10 days. The study of the species’ breeding biology has been conducted. presence of adults, eggs and chicks was noted, but neither eggs nor birds were removed or unduly disturbed. In 2001, a third category of “minimally disturbed” burrows (n = 57) was added. These burrows were inspected only at the beginning and end of the breeding season. The presence of an egg or fledgling was determined by feel alone, and no egg, adult or chick was removed from the burrow. Because disturbance was the key difference between treatments, burrows with similar disturbance levels were clustered; those disturbed least were sited further from access trails. Burrows in the colony at the foot of Mount Lidgbird were all low-disturbance burrows. Any marked burrows subsequently found to be empty were searched for the remains of an egg or chick, and were inspected for evidence that could help to identify the cause of egg or chick mortality. Eggs attacked by rats could usually be identified from teeth marks on the shell.
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