ANTARCTIC BIRD-BANDING by the FALKLAND ISLANDS DEPENDENCIES SURVEY, 1945-1957 by W

BIRD-BANDING A JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGICALINVESTIGATION

Vol. XXIX January,1958 No. 1

ANTARCTIC BIRD-BANDING BY THE FALKLAND ISLANDS DEPENDENCIES SURVEY, 1945-1957 By W. J. L. SLADENAND W. L. N. TICKELL The Falkland Islands DependenciesSurvey (FIDS) organizesex- ploration and researchin the British sectorof the Antarctic, and is uniquein havingmaintained bases in the Antarcticfor more than 13 consecutiveyears. FIDS originatedin 1943, and its first baseswere establishedin 1944. At the end of 1956 therewere 10 basespermanently occupied,with a total of 76 men in the winteringparties (Map I and Polar Record8(57): 526-31, 1957), alsoa temporaryone at Halley Bay on the Weddelt Sea for the Royal Society'sprogram for the Inter- nationalGeophysical Year {IGY), 1957-1958. In 1957 anotherbase (BaseJ• was establishedand occupiedon the Graham Coast,Graham Land t Palmer Peninsula). Unlike that of most other Antarctic expeditions,FIDS policy is to encouragemen to stay for 2 years,and to have hal,f the personnel changingevery year. The resultingmixture of experiencedwith in- experiencedmen facilitates continuity in research.Al. though represented by relativelyfew scientistsin the researchprojects, biology has benefited greatlyfrom this continuity. No betterexample of this can be found than in the FIDS bird-bandingscheme, which was the first extensive bandingprogram for the Antarctic. Otherbanding in the Antarctichas been summarizedby Austin (1957). Here will be outlinedthe objectives, methodsand some of the more interestingresul.ts of the FIDS bird-banding,with which both of us have been closel'yassociated. Sladen was medical officerand biologistto the expeditionin 1947-51; he .spent1 year at Hope Bay (BaseD), 1 at SignyIsland (BaseH) and anotheron R.R.S. John Biscoe,the expeditionship. Tickell spentover 2 years,in 1954-57,as biologistand meteorologistat Signy Island.

HISTORY OF THE FIDS BIRD-RINGING • SCHEME In late 1944 B. B. Roberts sent from London to 3 FIDS bases,some strips of aluminumalloy for marking penguins,and a set of number punchesfor inscribingthem. Theywere 4 by 1/.2inches in size,and were to be bent in a circle and fastenedwith a clip (as in Fig. 1 C) on the leg. They bore no address.The first were put on 50 nestlingGentoo Penguinsby G. Lockleyat Port Lockroy,Wiencke Island, in February 1945. It was probablyin this samerookery, 30 years earlier, that L. '* Thisis the official title but because this paper is published in the United States, we use 'band,' except in this one instance. Other nations working in the Antarctic, including Australia and New Zealand, use 'band.' 2] SLADEN,TICKELI,, Antarctic Bird-Banding Bird-BandingJanuary

Gain of the French Antarctic Expeditionmarked 50 GentooPenguins with green celluloid bands i Gain, 1914, and Hayerschmidt,1934). BetweenNovember 1946 and January 1948, 477 Adelie Penguinswere bandedin FIDS with the samealuminum strips, in 1946 at Hope Bay {Andrew and Roberts, 1952), and in 1948 at Red Rock Ridge, Mar- guerite Bay, by B. Stonehouseof FIDS and W. Latady of the Finn RonneAntarctic Research Expedition. Thesetrials on penguinsjustified further banding,and in September 1947, Sl'adenorganised for the first time a schemefor using bands bearing an address.The designsand sizesof bandstaken to the Ant-

'A' FO•RT F' ARGENTIN•

LOUBET COAST

'Y' HORSESHOE STONINGTON ISLAND

/ / /

PORT LOCK ROY DECEPTION ISLAND CAPE C•DDES FALKLAND ISLANDS HOPE BAY STON I NGTON ISLAND DEPENDENCIES S URVE'•" ARGENTINE ISLANDS ADMIRALTY BAY S: 1944-1956 $1GNY ISLAND GRyTVIKEN ANVERS ISLAND DANCO COAST LOUBET COAST HORSESHOE ISLAND

MAP I FIDS Bases, 1944-56 'Vol.1955XXIX SLADEN,T•CS:ZEE, ztntarctic Bird-Banding [3 arcticwere like thoseused by the BritishTrust for Ornithology(BTO), and read "I.NFORM F.I.D.S. COLONIAL OFFICE LONDON." They wereto be usedat Hope Bay (BaseD) and at Signy Isl.and (BaseH). One of theseaddressed bands, put on nestlingGiant Petrelsby R. M. Laws on 20 March 1948 at Signy Island, gave Antarcticbird-banding its first longsdistancerecovery. On 10 July 1948, about 9 weeksafter oneof theseyoung birds had left its neston Signy Island in early May, it was taken ahve by a fishermanin Fremantleharbour, West Australia, and released12 dayslater in goodcondition (Serventy, 1948). During the brief period, this bird had learnedto fly and had traveled at least, and probablymuch more than, 10,000 statutemiles. Details of further Giant Petrel recoveriesare given in Table V. In October1948 addressedbands were usedon penguinsat Hope Bay (Sladen, 1957). Trials at the sametime with colouredcelluloid flipper bands led to the later use, in December 1949, of addressed aluminumflipper bands on Gentoosin the Falkland Islands, and in 1950on Adeliesand Chinstrapsat SignyIsland (Sl.aden 1952; 543). The FIDS bird-bandingscheme has now becomea well.-established programat almostal.1 of the expedition'sbases. More than 7,200 birds of 17 Antarctic specieshave been banded (Table X). Each year or two FIDS headquartersin Londonsend mimeographed instructions to the FIDS basesand to other interestedorganizations, such as the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition fANARE), the Scott Pol.ar ResearchInstitute, the IGY Antarctic bases,and holdersof FIDS OperationalInstructions.

OBJECTIVES 1. To study local seasonalmovements, and the relationsof breeding groundsto feedingareas Many birds feed in the pack ice, but wherein relationto their breeding grounds is still unknown. For PygoscelidPenguins evidence suggeststhat differentspecies have different feeding habitats, e.g. in pack ice as opposedto openwater f•Sladen,1955: 245). Flipper bandscan easilybe seenfrom a shipmoving through pack ice. Local bird move- mentsare of specialinterest in comparingadult movementswith those of immatures. 2. To study more distantmigrations to other regions Giant Petrelsare the only speciesso far recoveredaway from their Antarctic breedinggrounds. Other speciesthat make long travels during the Antarctic winter are discussedlater. 3. To study longevity There are few data on the longevityof sea birds. Speciesfound in the Antarcticare long-lived,and are thereforeworth 'bandingfor this objective. Large numbersof youngmust be ,bandedeach year, as the mortalityin yearlingsis 'high. Continuityis important,and recognition of the individualsmust be assuredby replacingvery worn bands,or addingnew ones. 4. Life-historyand behaviourstudies Studieson speciesthat breedat or near the basesare beingunder- takenfrom time to time by FIDS specialists. }•ird-]•anding 4• SLADEN,TICKELL, •4ntarctic Bird-Banding January

5. Work on penguins Our objectivesare outlinedlater in the discussionof the Pygoscelid Penguins.

THE BANDS In 1953 the addressIn/orm F. I. D. S. ColonialOffice London was changedto INFORM F. I. D. S. BRITISH MUSEUM N,4T. HIST. LONDON, but existingstocks of old bandswere usedup first. The metal usedis 99,% aluminum,of soft temper,and is the sameas that usedby the British Trust for Ornithology(BTOt. The FIDS scheme has alwayskept in closeliaison with the BTO. With the exceptionof the penguin strips, which are receivedflat and have to be speciallyfitted, all bandsare suppliedpartly bent into shapeby machine. No permanentbands have been put on Emperor Penguinsin FIDS. Stonehouse•1956) flipper-banded149 King Pen- guins, ,4ptenodytespatagonicus, in South Georgia in 1953-55. The penguin strips describedhere are for the small Pygoscelidand the Macaroni Penguins. With the exceptionof size 6, the serial numbersof which have reached70,000 and over, the first figure ot• all referencenumbers on FIDS bandsindicates the size of the band; e.g. 201673 is size 2:50812 is size 5. As soon as it was discovered in 1955-56 that the end-to-end i butt- end) 'bandsfor Skuas,Gulls and Sheathbillsfrequently came off, or wore downtoo rapidl.y, all size4 bandswere recalledand replacedby size 4 Di (double-inscriptionS.

SUMMARY OF GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS SENT TO THE BASES Antarcticbirds may be dividedinto two groupsfor bandingpurposes (Sladen, 1956:55). Group I: consistsof birds that migrate for long distancesaway from the Antarctic. If they are bandedin large enough numbers,long-distance recoveries will provide informationon migra- tion and winteringquarters. They are, in order of priority, the Giant Petrel, Antarctic Skua, Dominican Gull, Sheathbill, Cape Pigeon, Antarctic Tern and Wilson's Petrel. Ai,1these, with the exceptionof Wilson'sPetrel, for which no suitablebands have yet been provided in FIDS, can be banded anywhere in 1.argenumbers. Group II: consistsof birds whosemigrations to and from the pack ice, or South- ern Oceans,make distant recoveriesunlikely, but which breed in large co}oniesand can be found from year to year in the placeswhere origi- nally banded. They are the Adelie,Chinstrap, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins,Blue-eyed Shag, Dove Prion, Snow Petrel.,Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Antarctic Petrel, Antarctic Fulmar. They are banded onl.y accordingto the researchplans of specialists.There is nothing to be gainedby bandingindiscriminately, for instance,casual penguins marked on the beachesare unlikel.y to be recoveredand wastetime and material.. 'Vol.1958XXIX SLADEN,TICKELL, •4ntarctic Bird-Banding [5 6] SLADEN,TICKELL, •dntarctic Bird-Banding Bird-BandingJanuary

Banding,and recaptures Only experiencedpeople should put on bands. An aluminumband is not likely to 1.asta bird's lifetime, so careful checksmust be made from year to year. Worn bands should be replaced,or preferably left untouchedand supplementedwith new bands on other limbs. In this way it will be possibleto learn the lengthof life of bandson the various species. Recording data Two types of forms for recordsare provided,the "Banded Birds Form" and the "RecaptureForm." Theseare ill.ledin by typewriting in triplicate,one copy being kept at base,the otherssent back to the FIDS Scientific Bureau in London. Bands taken from dead birds, and worn bandsreplaced by new ones,are alsosent back. No band, however badly worn, should be thrown away. Even apparently il.legible bandscan usuallybe decipheredby a chemicaletching process. During the IGY manybases in Antarcticawill be bandingbirds, and someof thesebirds are likely to appearat FIDS bases. The Skuas bandedat the Argentineand Chileanbases along the Graham Land coast,and Giant Petrelsbanded by the ANARE on MacquarieIsland, may appear. Every effortshould be madeto catchbanded birds alive. If that is not possible,birds wearingbands that are obviouslynot of FIDS origin, and are therefore of particular interest,should be shot and the band returnedto Londonfor forwardingto the banderscon- cerned. If the bird is alive with a band in good condition,the bird shouldbe re}easedwith the band on. A worn band must be replaced or supplementedby a FI'DS one. When bandingforms are returnedto the ScientificBureau, they are accompaniedby a brief summaryof a) total birds banded,b) bands still unused,with their numbers,c) new bandsneeded and d) sugges- tions for improvements.New suppliesof bandsare orderedwith the aim of keepingone year's stockas a reserve. Conservationo/wildli/e It is of utmost importanceto protect Antarctic wildlife (Sladen, 1956:57). This appliesas muchto the predatorsand scavengers,such as the Skuasand Giant Petrels,as to the penguinsand non-predators. Huskydogs can causemuch damage to breedingbirds. Unattended dogsshould not be allowedto roam away from base.

NOTES ON SPECIES BANDED BY FIDS; AND SELECTED RECAPTURES AND RECOVERIES 1. The PygoscelidPenguins; Adelie (Pygoscelisadeliae), Chinstrap (P. antarctica),and Gentoo(P. papua). (TablesIII and IV) Band size recommended:--6. Strips are provided, and are bent to shape(Fig. I A & B). Corralswere used at Signy Is. by Tickell and Hal.1in 1956 for web- markingabout 800 nestlingAdelies. Corralsare efficientfor collecting large numbersof penguins. However,because of the disturbanceto the colonies,they can be usedfor adultsonly beforeegg-laying, and Vol. 1958XXlX SLADEN,TICKELL, .tintarctic Bird-Banding [7

61017INFORM F.I.D.•

(vi)

ANTERIOR P•FLIPPER

OUTER FACE

(ii) A.TER,O. (iii) (iv) i•FLiPPEROVERLAP•

(ii) (v)

Y SUSX• •T]R(i/i) (iv• I I INCH Figure 1 Some FIDS bands (see also Table I) zI (i-vi) 1953 design flipper bands /or penguins. (i) strip as supplied. (ii) first shaping. (iii) shaping around flipper. (iv-vi) final position. (v) position of the clip on the inside of the flipper. (vi) the left flipper as held to the side of the body. The same shaping was used for the 1947 design flipper band. 17 is painted on the flipper for temporary identification. B (i-iv) 1955 designflipper bands/or penguins. (i-iii) stagesin shaping. (iv) final positi.on,the kink has been flattened with pliers so that the overlap lies flush with the rest of the band. C 1947 design leg bands /or penguins(or Giant Petrel tarsus bands). The first shaping of this band is shown in A (ii). The clip is left in the position shown. The same shaping was used for penguin bands 1945-48 (1944 design, see p. 1) with no address. D (i-v) Double-inscription bands. (i-iii) for Giant Petrel (Size 5 Di). (iii) final position around tarsus. (iv) Size 4 Di. (v) Size 2 Di. The bands are drawn to scale. All measurementsare given in inches. 8• SLADEN,TICKELL, ,tintarctic Bird-Banding ]3ird-13andingJanuary for chicksonly whenthey are old enoughto be changingsecond down for immature plumage (i.e., a week before they leave the rook- eries). It is best to build a corral away from nest sites and to drive birds to it, but for somepurposes it can be erectedwithin a colony and the birds allowedto occupytheir nestswithin the enclosure. A 3-foot chicken-wirefence of •J_,inchmesh with guy-ropedposts at intervalshas been used, but it is di•cult to keeperect on rockyground. Corrals must be removed after use because they encourage snow drifting. FIDS has 3 chief objectivesat presentin bandingpenguins: (a) To test whetherflipper bandsare as durableas leg bands,and whetheror not they decreasethe birds'chances o] survival. With very few exceptionsi see Table III) the PygoscelidPenguins have not beenbanded .successfull'y on the tarsus. Attemptsby severalAntarctic workershave injured the birds. Perhapsnarrower bands should have been used. Richdale's (1951) recommendationfor the tarsus of the Yellow-eyedPenguin of New Zealand,is an aluminumband 10 min. wide, of 16 SWG,with a clip (a.sin Fig. 1 C). FIDS bandshave not been less than 11.5 min. wide (Table I). Richdale (1951:50) claims his bandswill stayon for at leasttwo seasons,but haveto be renewed everythird season.The bands' shortness of life is dueto rock-abrasion; thetarsus touches the groundin standingand walking (this is so in the PygoscelidPenguins too). Most of the early FIDS bandswere put aroundthe leg, that is, on the leatheredtibia abovethe tarsus,and in thisposition an 11.5 or 12.5min. band does extremely well. Some of the reca.pturesrecord•ed below show that leg bands last a longtime. Unfortunatel'ythey are usuallyhidden by feathers, so that birds must be caught to determinewhether or not they carry bands,and it is not possibleto searchfor leg bandsin colonies of many thousandsof breedingbirds. Flipper bandshave several' advantages.They are conspicuous,and when correctlyfix.ed, their •-inch-high referencenumbers can be read from 60 feet through 8x binoculars. Their disadvantageis that they must be put on very carefullyby properlyinstructed people. The lnostimportant points to rememberare that •i) the flipperalmost doubl. es its thicknessduring the annualmoult; (ii) the .swimmingmovements of the flippermust not be restricted; (iii) the band must not be so looseas to slip down over the joint of the flipper (see Sladen,1957, for fuller details). FIDS policyhas therefore been that flipper bands should not bewidely usedunt•'l their e•ciency has been thoroughly tested and compared with that o] leg bands. The fol.lowingtest is now in .progress.From one penguincolony arechosen two groups each of 40-50breeding pairs in similarsituations, wikhthe samenumbers of peripheraland centralnests. Limits of the groupsare markedand photographed. The birdsin onegroup are markedwith leg .bands, in the otherwith both leg andflipper bands, and the survival of birds and bands are noted in following seasons. (b) To confirm,with larger samples, that adults return to thesame aestsites and keep the same mates ]rom year to year. Andrewand Vol. 195SXXIX SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding [9

Roberts(1952) firstproved that Adelies return to theirnest sites of the previousseason, and on the wholeare faithful to their former mates. (Gain(1914) couldnot recognize his birds individuall.y with the colored bandshe used.) Their sampleswere small.and the nest sites were clearlyrecognizable from rocksand other local landmarks.Sladen 11957•gives evidence that Adelies that have become established breed- ers will keepthe samemates although they may shift their nestsites. He suggeststhat individualrecognition and the affinityof the birds for eachother are as importantin maintainingthe pair bondas coming togetheragain on knownground. The FIDS schemeaims to collect moredata on the threePygoscelid species by bandingcomplete small colonies,and, aided with sketchesand photographs,describing the nest sitesand their occupantsfrom seasonto season. (c) By bandingor web-markingnestlings each year, to makepopula- tions o] individuals o] known ages available ]or ]uture work. Marking of nestlingsis the easiestand mostuseful. penguin work that can be done at present,but they must be marked in 1.argenumbers everyyear. Richdale(1951) wasthe first to mark penguinfoot-webs. In FIDS o,ly youngo/the year are web.marked.A differentposition on the web is used each year and any speciesof penguincan be marked with this (see Table II). A hand-punchfor leather with a revolvinghead that carriesseveral sizes of cuttersis used. After web-marking,the youngare not likely to be seenfor 2 or 3 )-ears. Thoserecaptured are markedwith aluminumbands. Some recaptureso] marked Adelies. Of 20 breedingAdelies banded by Andrewat HopeBay in November 1946 tAndrew and Roberts,1952), 2 were recapturedat their respec- tive originalnest sites by B. Hunt in Octoberand November1952 (this is the latestof many recapturesof theseindividuals). As thesebirds must have been at least 2 years old in 1946, they were no less than 8 yearsold in 1952. The bands(Fig. 1 C), whichwere on the leathered leg, were apparentlyin good conditionafter 6 years (Sladen,1957, Table XIII•. Of 18 chicks in a small colony at Hope Bay banded by J. M. Robertsin January 1948, one (No. 1040, no address)was taken by B. Hunt 28 October1952 (Sladen, 1957, Table XIII•. This 4-year-old Adelie was breedingin the colonywhere it was hatched.

TABLE II Web-marking patterns used/or penguins

Date Number Jan.-Feb. of holes Position of holes

1954 1 Right foot. In middle of right web. 1955 1 Left foot. In middle of right web. 1956 Right foot. In middle of left web. 1957 1 Left foot. In middle of left web. 1958 2 Right foot. In middle of both webs. 1959 2 Left foot. In middle of both webs.

No distinction of pattern is made between species. 10] SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding Birct-BandingJanuary

TABLE III Some Chinstraprecaptures (5 birds) Band Limb Date Date (s) number banded banded recaptured Notes Breeding. Banded by Laws. 62081RT* 6.1.49 22.12.49 No information. Breeding. Band addedby Sladen. 2. 2.53 Breeding (Mansfield). 63907RF** 27.12.50 27.12.5010. 2.54 On nest. [68510 LF** 23.12.55 23.12.55 Incubating 2 eggs. Somewearing of leg and flipper, and clip of flipper band partly unfolded. Both previous bands replaced by 68510 (Tickell). Nov. 1957 Back in same colony. Now at least 11 years old (Scotland). '63936 LF 18. 2.51 Nestling. Bandedby Sladen. 22. 1.53 Found by Mansfieldstanding by Colony IV. 2 years old. 7. 3.53 Just completed moult in nest site in Colony IV. 24. 1.54 Incubating 2 eggs. Probably breeding for first time. 3 years old. 68506 RF 23.12.55 23.12.55 Incubating 2 eggs. Slight wearing of flipper by partly unfolded clip. 63936 replaced by band 68506 (Scotland). Nov. 1957 Back in same colony. Nearly 7 years old (Scotland). 63937 LF 18. 2.51 Nestling. 24. 1.54 Recaptured by Tickell in same colony.

10. 1.53 Found by Mansfield roosting on snow 63980LF 26.2.51 Nestling.slope400 yards from ColonyIV. [68511 RF 23.12.55 23.12.55 Incubating 2 eggsin .ColonyIV. Slight wearing of flipper by partly unfolded clip. Band 63980 replaced by 68511 (Scotland). Bird was 4 years old. 63985 LF 1. 3.51 Nestling. 23.12.55 Incubating 2 eggsin Colony IV. 4 years old (Scotland).

*RT--right tarsus. **RF or LF--Right or left flipper. All theseChinstraps were in ColonyIV, which is a groupof about 140 Chinstraps, surroundedby an Adelie colonyin the Gourlayrookery, Signy Is. The last 4 birds are the total recapturesfrom 21 nestlingsbanded by Sladen in Colony IV in 1951.

Of 100 breedingaduI. ts markedwith flipper bandsat the Gourlay rookery,Signy Is., by Sladenin the 1950-51breeding season, 32 were foundby J. Chealon 8 November1951 in the colonieswhere they were banded. Theseflipper bands were the 1947 design(Table I), andwere fixed as in figure 1-A. Chealreported one flipperto be "rather worn," otherwisethe birds and bandswere in goodcondition. As we go to press,we havejust receiveda reportfrom C. Scotland at Signy Is. of his ,findingtwo Adelieswith flipper bands63751 and 62151,in October1957. No. 63751 wasa nestlingwhen Sladen banded it 2 February1951, and it is now thereforenearly 7 yearsol, d. No. Vol. 1958XXIX SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding

TABLE IV Some Gentoo recaptures (2 birds)

Band Litnb Date Date (s) nutnber banded banded recaptured Notes f63096 47 LLg*RLg Feb.29. 19451.56 29. 1.50 NestlingFound bybanded Sladen.by Lockley. Original band re- [64060 RF** placed by leg and flipper bands. 63065 RLg 29. 1.50 Adultbanded by Sladen. 64O70 RF 1950-51 Bird and bandsin goodcondition season (Chaplin). 28.12.52 Breeding. Bird and bands in good condition (Lenton). *LLg or RLg--Left or right leg (feathered tibia). **RF--Right flipper. The birds were bandedand recapturedin the sa•necolony at Port Lockroy (Base A), Wiencke Is., Graha•n Land. There have been other returns and repeats of less interest. 62151, bandedon 22 October1950, had one of the first flipper bands and the clip was put at the anterior edgeof the flipper. Scotlandre- portsthat the bandand the plumagewere in "perfectcondition" after 7 years. In spiteof the 1.ongsurvival, we do not recommendputting the clip on the anterioredge of the flipper (compareGwynn, 1955). No. 62151 bred in 1950, so it i.snow no lessthan 9 yearsold. Some recaptureso] marked Chinstraps. In January and February 1949, Laws leg-banded45 adult Chin- strapsat their nests. In Decemberhe found 10 of theseback at the same nest sites. During the 1950-51 season(i.e. two seasonsafter banding) Sladen recaptured30 of the original 45 adults. Of 17 nestlingsbanded by Laws in February 1949, none was recoveredin the 1950-51 season. In the 1950-51breeding season, Sladen flipper-banded 127 yearlings and adultsin ColonyIV of the Gourlay rookery. Mansfieldrecovered 45 .of these2 years later during a one-dayvisit (he was unableto go againto the rookery). AI.1the flipper bandswere in goodcondition, and only one bird showed"slight wearingof the leading (anterior) edgeof the flipperand in the axilla." WhenMansfield recaptured tarsus band 62081 (TableIII) in February 1953 he did not recorddamage to band or tarsus,and the band .had beenon for more than 4 years. When the samebird was examinedin December1955 by Scotl.and,the tarsusband had been on for nearly 7 yearsand the flipper band (63907) for 5 years. Recapturedby Scotlandin November1957, this bird is now no lessthan 11 yearsold: the oldestbird age recordedso far with FIDS bands. Two 2-year-olds(63936 and 63980) were back at the rookery,but probablydid not breed. Oneof thesebred when 3 yearsold in the rookerywhere it washatched (Table III). Furthercomments on penguinbands. (a) Wingtags (for seal.s)used experimentall'y by Austin(1957:9) on 50 Adeliesat McMurdo Soundon 26 January 1956, were seenone 12] SLAOEN,T•CKELL, Ytntarctic Bird-Banding iBird-I]andinJanuary g yearlater to be causingsome damage to the flippersof a samplerecap- tured (Eklund,personal co,mmunication). Also, ;wo of thesebirds (tag nos. 12573 & 12585) capturedin November 1957 in the same area and flownback to the U.S.A. showthe tagsto be in goodcondition but the flippersdamaged with evidenceof frost.bite.It is unwiseto use any methodthat involvespiercing the flipper,'because t,he flipper be- comesthickened and tender during the molt. (b) Flipper bands. The 1947 flipper-banddesign appears to have 1.astedwell (Table I), our longestrecords so far being7 yearson an Adelie,with the bandstill in excellentcondition, and 5 yearson Chin- straps,with little abrasionof the bandand only slightwearing of the flipper. The cl.ips wereloosening on the Chinstrapbands examined in 1955. It is su.spectedthat ice may forcethe clip apart. Alsothe clip is too difficultfor commonuse, so the 1955 designhas thickermetal anda simpleoverlap ('Fig. 1 B). It is tooearly to reporton the success of the 1953 and 1955 designs. The useof flipperbands by ExpeditionsPolaires Fransaises in Ad61ie Land in 1951 is describedby Sapin-Jaloustre(1952:81) and Sapin- Jaloustreand Bourliere (1951:66). We agree with Gwynn (1955:8) that flipper bands should be narrowerthan 12.5 min., but do not think they shouldbe as narrow as 6.5 ram. An eventhicker, tougher metal suchas Monel metal should alsobe considered.Damage resul, ting from flipper-banding330 Rock- hopper Penguins, Eudyptes cristatus, at Heard Island (Gwynn, 1955:12) emphasizesthat flipperbands should not be widelyused until thoroughlytested for the speciesconcerned. (c) Leg bands (i.e. on the leathered tibia) may remain the safest methodof marking breedingpenguins which are known to return to the samenesting area in successiveyears. We suggestthat a 16 SWG "double-inscription"band like the onesused for Giant Petrels (1953 design,Fig. 1D), but 10 ram. wide insteadof 12.5 min., and made of Monel metal, woul.d be an improvementon the presentclip design (Fig. 1C). 2. MacaroniPenguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) Band size recommended:--6 This is an uncommonbird in the FalklandIslands Dependencies, breedingin relativelysmall numbers at DeceptionIsland (BaseB) and in the South Orkneys (Clarke 1913). During the last few years it has establisheditself as a breeding specieson Signy Island (Base H). There, on 5 December1954, Tickell pl,aced flipper band 68304 on a Macaroni incubating an egg (subsequentlyfound broken) in the middle of Adelie Col.onyXXI, Gourlay rookery. It was almostcer- tainlybreeding for the first time; i.e. it wasan 'unestablishedbreeder' ('Sladen1957). The sameseason, on 13 February 1955, the bird was found with two unmarkedMacaronis over 4 miles away at the North Point rookeryin the midst of breedingChinstrap Penguins. During the followingbreeding season, on 25 Januaryand on 2 February1956, it was again observedat the North Point rookeryat an empty nest with an unmarked bird (then banded 68713). It is not known if 68304 bred during the 1956-7 season. Vol. XXIX 1958 SLADEN,TICKELL, .4ntarctic Bird-Banding [13

On 2 February 1956 at the North Point rookery a Macaroni, banded68171, was 'keepingcompany' with anotherbanded 68172. Later, on 22 March 1956, 68171 was al'oneat a nest site, in full moult. The next season,1956-7, it mated with an unmarked bird, in the same rookery,and successfullyreared a chick.

3. Giant Petrel (Macroaectesgiganteus) (Table V) Bandsize recommended:--5Di (Fig. 1D (i-iii)) The first Giant Petrel recoverieswere reportedby Serventy (1948), Roberts and Sladen (1952) and Purser (1952). Some recent FIDS recoveriesare beingdiscussed by Stonehouse(in press,Ibis), and the rest are given in Tabl.e V. Map II summarizesthe recoveriessince the FIDS bandingscheme started in 1948. R. Laws banded 11 adults between December 1948 and January 1949 at sevenmarked nest .sites on Signy Island. They includedfour pairs. He recaptured7 of thesebirds duringthe next breedingseason, in Novemberand December1949. Five were at their previousnest sites,and one pair was again togetherat the samesite. Unfortunately the Giant Petrels1.ater deserted this colony,because of its proximity to the base. More than 2,000 Giant Petrelshave been bandedin FIDS, prin- cipally •by Hall, Hooper,Laws, Sladenand Tickell, at Signy and ' AnversIslands, and nearly al.1 have been nestlings. All the long-distance recoverieshave been of young birds. So far none of thesehas been recapturedas an adult at the place where banded,but this may be becausethey havenot beenlooked for at the right time. Downeset al. (1954) recommendthat the besttime for catchingadult birds in snares is the first two weeksafter the eggshave hatched,when the chicksare being fed. The recoveriesof youngGiant Petrelsbanded by FIDS and by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) on Heardand Macquarie Islands (Chittleborough and Ealey 1905; Downes et al. 1954; Howard1956), continueto add supportto Murphy'ssug- gestion(1936:547) that somespecies of sea birds of the Southern Oceanscircumnavigate the world in the west-windzone. Murphy (loc. cit.) cited a WanderingAlbatross, Diomedea exulans, th. at ,xas bandedat a neston KerguelemIsland in 1913 and recovered3 years later at sea near Cape Horn (Menegaux1917). Howard (1954) re- portsthe recoveryin Australiaof two Bl.ack-browed Albatrosses, D. melanophris,one of which was bandedat Macquariel•land as an adult,and the otherat Heard Island as a nestling. Interestingevidence of eastwardtravel of a Bl.ue Petrel,Halobaena caerulea,is reportedby Bargmann(1952). T.hebird wasbanded in June1951 whenit was attractedaboard RRS DiscoveryH by strong arelamps, when the shipwas in position64 ø 97' S., 131ø 50' E. Two Note to Table V: 51679 gives the first evidenceof a westwardmovement½ unless this bird circled the world in four months. 51311 is the second record of a FIDS bird recovered in its secondyear; andthe most northerly recovery. i•ird-•Banding ']4] SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding January

TABLE V Recoveriesof Giant Petrels in 1957 (see also Map

FIDS Base Date Band See Date recovered no. Map I banded 1957 Condition Locationof recovery 52432 H Feb-Mar 9 June Dead 30 miles S. of Fremantle, 57 W. Australia. 52491 H " 23 June Dead 26 miles S. of Fremantle. 52109 H " 24 June Dead 23 •niles S. of Fremantle. 52602 N " 28 June 9 4 miles N. of Swan River Mouth, W. Australia. 52698 H " 29 June Alive and released 7 miles S. of Fremantle. 52902 H " 29 June Dead Cape Cross, Swakopmund, S.W. Africa. 52568 H " 2 July Dead Geraldton,W. Australia. 52499 H " 4 July Alive and released Nr. Fremantle, W. Australia. 52768 H " 7 July Alive and released S.E. Tasmania. (band removed) 51679 N " 7 July Alive and released KangarooIs., S. Australia. 52690 H " 9 July Dead St. Peter Is., S. Australia. 52295 H " 9 July Alive and released Lorne, Victoria, (band removed) Australia. 67016 H 4. 3.56 13 July -- Palliser Bay, N. Is., New Zealand. 52405 H Feb-Mar 14July Alive andreleased 3 milesoff Port Phillip 57 Heads, Australia. 53027 H " 15 July Alive and released 25 milesS. of Sydney, Australia. 52293 H " 16 July Alive and released Lorne, Victoria, (band removed) Australia. 52470 H " Mid-July -- Mouth of R. Murray, S. Australia. 52627 H " 17 July Alive and released EncounterBay, S. Australia. 52693 H " 20 July Dead Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia. 52217 H " 4 July Dead HoutmanAbrolhos Is., W. Australia. 52538 H " 25 July Alive andreleased Eden,New SouthWales, Australia. 53058 H " 1 Aug. Alive andreleased SharkBay, W. Australia. 52791 H " 11 Aug. Alive and released CapeMorgan, S. Africa, Lat. 32 ø 47' S., Long. 28 ø 29' E. 52860 H " 24 Aug. Dead Port Fairy,Australia.

Footnote:--the following1957 recoveries have come in sincegoing to press.They have been included in .Map II. 51679 N Feb•Mar 4 Nov. Alive and released Busselton,Geographic 57 Bay• W. Australia, about 1200 miles west of KangarooIs. where caughton 7 July (see above). 51311 It 7. 4.56 23 Oct. Dead S. of Mollendo, Peru. (17 ø 10' S., 71 ø 49' W.) 52906 H Feb-Mar 1 Nov. Alive and released; Barwon Heads, Geelong, 57 in poor condition Victoria, Australia. 53028 H " 9 Dec. Dead Belmont,near Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia. Vol.1958xx•x SLaOEN,T•CKELL, .tintarctic Bird-Banding [ 15

/ •"•'-•AP, NEARMOLLENDO, pERIl

/ BASE N, • .ANVERS.IS.

k/ N•,•;, ,•,,; I 4 ,,,• •,,• ,s/k •'/ k d•'ø"ø'"•' J ,•,o,s. '' '- •

MAP II FIDS Giant Petrel recoveries 1948-57. All 45 records are oœnestlings. Each numberis the approximatetime in weeksbetween a bird'sleaving its nest,and beingœound at the placewhere the numberis shown. (Time oœleaving the nest is not known œoreach individual; here an averageis used from previousbase- reports,which is 7 .May.) Birdshatched on AnversIs. are representedby under- linednumbers; the resthatched on Sign¾Is.* is the samebird (51679--TableV). dayslater, when the shiphad moved400 rail.es to the east,the bird cameaboard again and wasrecaptured. This speciesdoes not follow shipsbut it is frequentlyattracted to lightsat night,giving it the name of Fire Bird in the Fal.kland Islands. It will be interestingto knowhow dependenton the windsare the variousspecies that have pelagic movements in thiszone. Bl'uePetrels and alsoPrions may be lessbound to the directionof the prevailing windsthan are otherspecies. They fly closerto the waterand do less soaringthan the GiantPetrels and Albatrosses. Tickell (unpublished) took away bandedPrions breedingon Signy Is., and releasedtheIn from a distance,to seeif theywould return. Two arrivedback within 2 days from SouthGeorgia, 500 miles away to the northeast,having 16• SLADEN,TICKELL, •4ntarctic Bird-Banding ]Blrd-•BandingJanuary travelledagainst the prevailingwesterlies. 'One released in the Falk- land Isl.ands, 900 miles away to the northwest,took 5 days to return with the northwesterl.y winds. However,movements in homing experi- ments on breedingbirds may not be comparablewith winter movements,with whichmost of the bandingrecoveries have beenconcerned (includingthe Blue Petrel mentionedabove). More banding of all theseinteresting s•cies is needed. T'he 1947 designof band (Fig. 1C and table I) for Giant Petrels, usedfrom 1948-56, often becamebadly abradedby rocks before the youngleft the nest. The 1953 "doubleinscription" band (Fig. 1D) is of a similardesign to thoseused on the Manx Shearwaterin Britain by Lockley (1942), and recentlyby Serventy(1956) for burrowing petrelsin Australia. The extensiveoverlap completely covers and protectsthe inscriptionthat is duplicatedat oneend.

4. ,4ntarcticFulmar or Silver-greyPetrel (Fulmaris glacialoides) Band size recommended:--3 Di Onlyone of this specieshas been banded, and size4 Di wasused. However,a doubleinscription size 3 band is thoughtto be better.

5. CapePigeon or PintadoPetrel (Daptioncapensis) (Table VI) Band size recommended:--3 Di Size 3 with a small overlaphas been usedso far. One of these has lastedfor 7 years and was in excellentcondition when 1.astseen. As these bands are often abraded,a double inscriptionband, size 3, is recommended.

TABLE VI Some Cape Pigeon recaptures(4 birds) Band FIDS Date Date number base* banded recaptured Notes 301051 H 30. 3.48 Adult banded by Laws. 9.12.49 Recapturedin original nest site (Laws). 300880 H 24.10.48 Adultbanded by Laws. 301703 12.10.55 12.10.55 Not knownif backin originalnest as mark had worn off rocks. Band 300880 in excellent condition after 7 years, but removed and replaced by 301703. Adult banded by Laws. 301045H 13.12.4814.11.49 Recaptured in originalnest site (Laws). 301704 12.10.55 12.10.55 Recapturedat unidentifiednest with 300880 (see above); they were in separate nests when banded in 1948. Replaced by band 301704 (Tickell).

301109 B 19. 2.49 Adult banded by Sladen. Caught by hand when feeding on whale blubber, Whaler's Bay, Deception Is. 6. 2.50 Taken by a Chileanbiologist at the Chilean Base near Whaler's Bay.

*--see Map I. 'Vol. XX• 1958 SLADEN,TICKELL, •4ntarctic Bird-Banding [ 17

R. Laws banded 18 aduks at marked nests between 24 October 1948 and 14 January1949, but apparentlyno matedpairs were included. He recaptured 10 of these 18 adults in November and December 1949, and all 10 were at their original nest sites. So far, no Cape Pigeonsbanded as nestlingshave been recovered. The Cape Pigeonis one of the commonestmigrants from the far southto be seenoff westSouth America, where it cl.osely foll.ows the Humbol.dt Current (Murphy 1936:306). It has also been reported regularly in temperatewaters along the west coast of South Africa (Oordt 1939, and others), and occasionallyit reachesthe North At- 1.antic.The scavenginghabits of the CapePigeon make it an easybird to catcheven by hand when it is feedingclose to the shorein the Antarctic,and there are many recordsof its beingcaught on fishhooks by seamen. This and its extensivejourneys make this bird a very suitablesubject for an intensivebanding program with goodprospects of interestingresults.

7. Dove Priori (Pachyptila desolata) (Table VII) Band size recommended:--2 Di The 1955 designof double-inscriptionband, size 2, has replaced the 1948 design. Inscriptionson the old bandswere often unreadable after 3 or 4 years. Tickellhas made an extensivestudy of the breeding andbehaviour of this speciesat SignyIsland (to be publishedshortly). He suggeststhat a further improvementfor Prion bands would be to useMonel. metal (Serventy1956) with specialpliers for applyingthem. Many Dove Prions have been recapturedin the nest wherethey were banded. Tickell.has also retakenthe samepairs in the samenests in successive seasons.

TABLE VII SomeDove Prion recaptureson Signy Island (Base H), (2 birds) Band Date Date number banded recaptured Notes 200200 19. 3.52 Adult banded by Mansfield. 301561 16.12.54 16.12.54 Incubating egg in original nest site. The old band just readableand very thin, after being on for 2 years ,and 9 months; replaced by 301561 (Tickell). 200169 9. 3.52 Adult bandedby Mansfield. 301562 16.12.54 16.12.54 Incubatingegg in original nest site. Band replaced by 301562 (Tickell). 8. Snow Petrel (Pagodromanivea) (Table VIII) Band size recommended:--3 Di Thoughone .size 3 bandwith a smalloverlap has lasted 7 yearsand 8 months,we recommenda double inscriptionband of size 3, like that for the Cape Pigeon. R. Laws banded 5 adults at marked nest sites between 30 March and 27 April, 1948; they includedone pair. He found all five at the same nest sites,either in the followingbreeding season (December 1948) or two seasonslater (Novemberor December1949). The pair were 18] SLADEN,TICKELL, •tntarctic Bird-Banding Bird-BandingJanuary togethertwo seasonslater. So far, no SnowPetrels banded as nestlings havebeen recaptured but many otherlocal recapturesof bandedSnow Petrelshave been made, besidesthose given in Table VIII.

TABLE VIII Some Snow Petrel recapturesat Signy Island (Base H) (3 birds)

Band Date Date number banded recaptured Notes Adult banded by Laws. 30105430.3.48 25.11.49Back in original nest site (Laws). 301542 9.11.55 9.11.55 Probably again in original nest site (according to Laws' sketch-map; but paint marks had gone). Band replaced by 301542 (Tickell). 301046 27. 4.48 Adult, banded by Laws, in the same nest as 301052. 5.11.49 In original nest site with 301052 (Laws). 301052 27. 4.48 Adult, banded by .Laws, in same nest as 3O1O46. 13.12.48 Alone at nest site where banded. 5.11.49 With 301046 in original nest site (Laws).

9. Wilson's Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) For the few Wilson's Petrel'sthat have been banded, size 2 bands havebeen used, but they are too large. Size la (BTO) doubl.e inscription bands would be better. In 1935 Roberts (1940) banded23 pairs of Wilson'sPetrels in the ArgentineIslands off the westcoast of GrahamLand, duringthe British Graham Land Expedition. They all were with the same mates at the samenest sites,in the secondbreeding season. Roberts'bands had no addresses.His recaptures,with thoseof Lockley (1930), gives some of the first evidence that the Procellar•idae return after their pelagicwanderings, to their former nest sitesand matesin successive breeding seasons. One of severalinteresting FIDS Wilson'sPetrel recaptureswas an adult, 200003, that Sladen banded on Signy Island (Base H) on 10 March 1950, and Tickell. recapturedin the same nesting area on 12 December1955. The band was only slightlyworn, thoughit had been on the bird for nearly 6 years. The numberwas legible and there was no iniury to the tarsus. Wils,on's Petrel is the smallestof the Antarcticpetrels, yet it is the only truly Antarcticbird speciesknown to winter regularlyin large numbersnorth of the equator. It is reportedby Wynne-Edwards t1935:285) to reachas far as 50ø N in the Atlantic,and is occasion- all.yseen off the Britishcoast. Movementsin the Indian and Pacific Oceanare lesswell known,but apparentlyof much less magnitude, the winterquarters there being on the seassurrounding NW, N and probablyNE Australia(Serventy 1952). Becauseof itspelagic habits and the infrequencyof its beingcaught by sailorsand fishermen,or washedup oncoasts, Wilson's Petrel, is unlikelyto producemany long- distancebanding recoveries. Vol. XXIX 1958 SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding [ 19

10. Black-belliedStorm Petrel (Fregettatropica) The Bl.ack-bellied Storm Petrel is a rare bird in the Falkland Islands Dependencies,breeding in small numbersat DeceptionIsland (Base B), the South Shetlands(Bennett 1927), and in the South Orkneyson Laurie Island (Clarke 1913). In 1950 Sladenfound it breedingon Signy Island. Tickell banded three Black-belliedStorm Petrels at Signyin 1955. He usedsize 2 bands,but sizela, as for Wilson'sPetrel, might be preferabl.e. There have beenno recoveries. 11. AntarcticBlue-eyed Shag (Phalacrocoraxatriceps) Band size recommended:--5 Di Some of thesebirds, nearly all nestlings,have been banded at the ArgentineIslands (BaseF), Port Lockroy (BaseA) and Signy Island i BaseH), but no recoveriesor returnshave so •ar been reported. They do not shift far from their breedinggrounds in winter, so banding them,like penguins,is of valuemainly for local studies. 12. Sheathbill (Chionis alba) (Table IX) Band size recommended:-4 Di Sheathbillsare aberrant shore birds, and the only speciesin the Antarcticwithout webbedfeet. They breed amongpenguin or shag colonies,but verylittle is knownof their ecologicalrelation with these, or in fact of any of their natural history and behaviour. Mansfield counted58 Sheathbillnests in the Gourlay penguinrookery at Signy Is. of an estimated40,000 Adelie and ChinstrapPenguins, in the 1952-53 season. The Sheathbillswere evenlydistributed throughout the rookery;they appearto havesharply defined nesting and foraging territories. We have one record of a changeof nest site due no doubt to an unusualfood supplyfor these mnnivorousscavengers. A pair nestedin "GashCove," the rubbishdump near BaseH, 2•2 •nilesfrom the nearestpenguin rookery, in 1953-54,but there is no record of breedingsuccess and they did not return next season.

TABLE IX Somerecaptures o/ Sheathbillsat Signy Island (Base H) (3 birds) Band Date Date Notes number banded recaptured 300818 27.10.49 Adult banded by Laws near base hut. November Seen a number of times at the Gourlay 1950 penguin rookery, 2Vz miles from base (Sladen).

300813 27.10.49 Adult banded by Laws near base hut. 24.10.52 Recaptured around base. One of the original 2 colourbands was missing (Mans- field).

40084O 9. 2.51 Nestling banded by Sladen at .the Goutlay penguin rookery. 7. 1.53 Recapturedwith an unmarked bird (then banded 401068) at a nest in the same rook- cry with 3 eggs. This bird was therefore breeding at age of 2 years (Mansfield). 20] SLADEN,TICKELL, •tntarctic Bird-Banding Bird-BandingJanuary

Sheathbillsare easybirds to catch,being easily baited. Also,when not breedingthey roostat night alongthe rockycoast, and on a dark stormynight can be approachedand dazzled with a flashlight,and will be reluctantto fly. Bird No. 400840 (Table IX) givesthe first evidencethat a Sheath- bill will breedat the ageof 2 years. Laws at Signy Is. (BaseH) in October1949, banded18 adultswith .size3 metal.bands on onetarsus and variouslycoloured celluloid bands on the other. Sladenlooked for thesefrom the time he arrivedat Signy in February1950. Few Sheathbillsappeared during the winter and no bandedones were seenfrom Februaryuntil. 28 July 1950. From thenon morebirds came to thebase and bandedones were occasionally seen. During the breedingseason most Sheathbill.sleft the base,and bandedones were then seenregul. arly at the Gourlaypenguin rookery 2« miles away. Some of the birds had lost their aluminum bands thoughthe colorcelluloid bands were in goodcondition. Several,times ice wasseen encasing the bandseven though the rest of the tarsuswas free. Somemetal bandswere observedto be openingup and it was suspectedthat this was due to the ice forming betweenthe band and the tarsus. Elmes (1955:153) has observed the same cause of loss of a bandin a Blackbird(Turdus merula). Size4 Di is now beingused for Sheathbills. Marking will helpto determinetheir migrations:bands on the tarsus are conspicuousand the whiteplumage is suitablefor dyeing. So far no FIDS bandshave been recoveredaway from the breedingareas. Apparentlymost Sheathbillscro,ss Drake's Passageto winter in the Falkl.and Islandsand alongthe southerncoasts of Argentinaand Chile. Of other records,Murphy (1936:1002) givesinstances of Sheathbill.s seenfar from land, oftentravelling on icebergs,and Biermanand Voous (1950:104) record a Sheathbillaround a whale catcherover 700 miles from both Bouvet Island and the South Sandwich Isl.ands.

13. Antarctic Skua (Catharacta skua) Band size recommended:--4 Di H. M. Bryant of the U.S. AntarcticService Expedition banded 15 adult McCormick's Skuas (C. s. maccormicki) on 10 and 11 March 1941 at MargueriteBay near the presentFIDS BaseE (Eklund 1945: 303 and information from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The bandswere addressed"Noti]y BiologicalSurvey, Washington,D.C." Two of these were seen on 29 November 1946 at FIDS Base E, and one was shot. The band was worn and the number not comr•letely readable. More than 8« years after •banding,on 11 November1949, another,40/605604, was shot at Base E (Stonehouse,persona} communication). This is a long time for survivalof a butt-endband. The butt-endbands used by FIDS prior to the 1955-56season did not consistentlystay on the birds, again like the Sheathbill bands perhapsbecause of ice formation. Now the 1955 double-inscription designis in use (Fig 1 D) (iv)). The Skua'scircumpolar distribution, and its movements,are being studiedduring the IGY by Carl Eklund,leader and bio}ogistat U.S. WilkesBase on the Knox Coast. Eklund (1957) is supplyingthermo- Vol. XXIX 1958 SLADEN,TICKELL, zlntarctic Bird-Banding [21 plastictarsus bands of variouscol. ors to otherbases, and so far Argen- tina, Australia, Japan, Norway, the U. K. (FIDS Bases) and the U.S. S. R. have agreedto band skuasat their bases. FIDS has done this at BasesB, F and H and hopesto includeG and J in the 1957-8 season. The Skuasmarked with thermopl.asticbands will also carry a metal band on the other tarsus. Relatedspecies, the Arctic Skua, or ParasiticJaeger (Stercorarius parasiticusJ, and the PomarineSkua, or Jaeger(S. pomarinus),with Arctic breedingareas migrate to the southernhemisphere in the Arctic winter, and have recently been recordedas far south as the Antarctic (Sladen 1952a and 1954). Catharactaskua is the only bird species with breedingpopulations in both the Arctic and Antarctic. These populationsare of different subspecieswhich are very difficult to distinguishin the field. We suspectthat there is a movementof the Arctic subspeciesto the Southernhemisphere in the Arctic winter, and of the Antarcticsubspecies to the northernhemisphere in the Antarctic winter, which would be difficult to detect with umnarked individuals. Marking large numbers of them might well reveal•such interesting movements. For a studyon the Brown Skua (C. s. 15nnbergi)at SouthGeorgia in 1953-55,FIDS biologistB. Stonehouseused bands supplied by the National Institute of Oceanography(Bargmann 1952) bearing the inscription"In/oran N.I.O. c/o Museu•n(Nat. Hist.) London" (Stone- house 1956a).

14. Southern Black-backed or Do•ninican Gull (Larus do•ninicanus) Band size recommended:-- 4 Di Only a few have been bandedby FIDS, but they are worth more attentionbecause of their interestingrange. The breedingrange covers about 60 ø of 1.atitudeof the southernhemisphere, and is circumpolar in a broad subantarcticbelt (Murphy 1936:1059). They are present at all FIDS basesand are usuallyseen in small numbersduring the winter months. No recoveriesof bandedbirds have beenreported.

15. Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) Band size recomtnended:-- 2 Onl.y a few havebeen banded at FIDS bases,and therehave been no recoveries,so far. Nothing is known about their movements,or their possibleintermixing with otherspecies of terns. The Antarctic Tern is almost indistinguishablein the field from the Arctic Tern, S. paradisaea,though Downes (1952) hasrecentl, y given some good differentiatingfield .characteristics from observationsat HeardIsland. Murphy(1936) summarizedthe records of theArctic Tern wintering in theAntarctic pack ice; for morerecent records see Friedmann (1945) and Bierman & Voous (1950). We see no reason why the Antarctic Tern shouldnot migrateinto the northernhemisphere during the Ant- arcticwinter, but no .specimenhas yet beentaken there. Dye coloring woul,d be very suitablefor AntarcticTerns especially if basedon an internationalprogram. Bird-Banding 22 ] SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding January

TABLE X Birds bandedin ,the Antarctic by FIDS /tom seasons1945/6 to 1956/7.

1945 Species .1951' 1951/2 1952/3 1953/4 1954/5 1955/6 1956/7 Total

Adelie Penguin 781 3 -- 527 -- 4 249 1564 Chinstrap Penguin 275 72 -- 36 137 -- 1 521 GentooPenguin 307 23 30 45 123 113 90 731 Macaroni Penguin ------2 -- 4 4 10 King Penguin .... 149'* -- -- 149 Giant Petrel 123 ------1 683 1222 2029 Antarctic Fulmar ...... 1 1 Cape Pigeon 113 18 160 67 103 -- 213 674 Dove Prion 2 127 131 26 138 -- 141 565 Snow Petrel 59 -- 97 15 37 -- -- 208 Wilson's Petrel 12 -- -- 8 4 -- -- 24 Black-bellied Storm-Petrel .... 3 -- 7 10 Blue-eyedShag 61 ------14 -- -- 75 Sheathbill 71 5 55 42 7 5 117 302 Antarctic Skua 10 -- 26 -- 16 42 217 311 Dominican Gull 8 ..... 12 23 43 Antarctic Tern ..... 6 8 14

TOTALS 1822 248 499 768 732 869 2293 7231

*--Robert and Sladen, 1952:540. **--The King Penguinswere banded at South Georgia 1953-55 (Stonehouse1956).

FIDS BANDS USED OUTSIDE THE ANTARCTIC

1. FalklandIslands. In 1949-52265 FIDS bandswere put on the following8 speciesof birdsin the FalklandIslands: Gentoo Penguin-- 120, MagellanicPenguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)---4, Blackobrowed Albatross(Diomedea melanophris)--40, Belcher's Prion (Pachyptila belcheri)---41,Rock Shag (Phalacrocoraxmagellanicus)--46, Do- minicanGull--6, DolphinGull (Leucophaeusscoresbii)•2, and the FalklandIslands Thrush (Turdus]. ]alkIandii)--5. Sl'adenbanded 94 GentooPenguins and I RockShag between Decem- ber 1949and May 1951and all the restwere banded by E. M. Cawkeri in 1951-52. Someof the original,Gentoo Penguins were recaptured in the samerookeries at Fox Bay and SparrowCove in subsequentsea- sons,but we haveno recordsof recoveriesor returnsof otherbanded species. 2. GoughIsland. Somesize 5 Di bandssupplied to the Gough Island ScientificSurvey were put on about 220 adult and nestling WanderingAlbatrosses (Diomedea exulans) during 1955-56 (M. Swales,personal communication). No recoverieshave yet bee•n published. Vol. XXIX 195S SLADEN,TICKELL• Antarctic Bird-Banding [23

i! 24] SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding Bird-•3andingJanuary

CONCLUSIONS The FIDS bird-banding schemehas been dependentupon, and improvedby, the followingfactors: Permanentoccupation of basesin the Antarctic and participationby many membersof the expedition; long-termplanning; radio communicationbetween bases and, when needed,with FIDS headquartersand other expeditions;cooperation from other countries. The importanceof international cooperation has been long establishedin bird banding. Birds of the southern oceansare mainl'y.circumpolar in breedingdistribution, and therefore needto be studiedand protectedon an internationalscale. The followingadvice to interestedexpedition members, before their departure,has proved profitable: Specialistsshould concentrate on thoroughinvestigations of singlespecies, using banding as a foundation; birds that are known to have been banded in previous seasons in certainbreeding pl.aces should be lookedfor carefully;a foundation shouldbe laid for future populationstudies on markedbirds of known agesby bandingor web-markingeach year largenumbers of young birds (particularlypenguins, which are idealstudy subjects). Antarctic and Subantarcticbreeding .species that migrate for long distancescan be tentativel'yclassified in the followingway according to their typesof movements:i) Thosewith circumpolarrout.es, e.g. the Giant Petrel, for which there are substantialbanding data, the Albatrosses,and possiblythe Prions (Bargmann19521. ii) Those with north-southmigration routes within the southernhemisphere, e.g.the DominicanGull and Sheathbill.iii) Thosewith north-south routesthat cross the equator, e.g. Wilson's Petrel and the CapePigeon. The AntarcticSkua and the AntarcticTern alsoare suspectedof having migrationroutes of typeiii). Thesuspicion is based mostly on the factthat closelyrelated species breeding in the Arcticmigrate to the Antarctic. The ternsare in particularneed of bandingbecause it is difficultto distinguishthe Antarctic from the Arctic species in thefield. GiantPetrels banded by FIDS providedthe firstevidence that these birdsfollow a circumpolarroute t Serventy1948: Roberts and Sladen 1952),and, along with the excellent results of theAustralian (ANARE) banding,more data continue to accumulate.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thisreport is concernedwith fieldwork done by manymembers of FIDS, to whomwe are verygrateful. We are particularlyindebted to R. M. Laws,for his early work at SignyIsl'and 1948-50, also •o J. D. Andrew,J. H. Chaplin,J. J. Cheal,A. B. Hall, P. R. Hooper, R. A. Lenton,G. J. Lockley,A. W. Mansfield,P. A. Cordall,R. C. Mottershead,J. M. Roberts,C. D. Scotland,B. Stonehouse,E. D. Stroud,R. J. F. Taylor,A. Trittonand R. F. Worswick.Many people in Chile,South Africa, Australia and NewZealand have generously sent data on recoveredGiant Petrels,including P. A. Clancey,A. J. Fraser.L. Glauert,D. L. Serventyand R. Wheel'er.B. B. Roberts helped'inthe original planning, and Miss E. Leachof the British Trust for Ornithology,and later Bruce Campbell and R. Spencergave help 'Vol. XXIX 1958 SLADEN,TICKELL, Antarctic Bird-Banding [25

andadvice. Brenda Sl. aden has helped with the text and drawn Figure 1 and Map II, and O. L. Austin,Jr., and A. J. Duval'lhave given valuablesuggestions. We thank all thesepeople, and the staff of the FIDS ScientificBureau in London,especially Sir RaymondPriestley and Miss E. Todd.

SUMMARY The FIDS Bird RingingScheme originated in 1947, the first ad- dressedaluminum bands being used in 1948. Threeyears before this, severalhundred penguins had beenmarked with aluminumbands with referencenumbers only. By the end of the 1956-57season, more than 7,200 Antarctic birds of 17 specieshad been bandedat FIDS bases (Table X). In the Falkland Islands an additional 265 bands were put on 8 speciesbetween 1949 and 1952. The GoughIsland Scientific Survey1955-56 also bandedabout 220 WanderingAlbatrosses with FIDS addressedbands. Detai}sof the kindsof bandsused are given in Table I. Many of the speciesbanded have been shown,for the firsttime, to returnto their formernest sites after their longpelagic wanderings,and to keep the samemates in successiveseasons (Table XI). Someof the recentcircumpolar recoveries of the GiantPetrels are summarizedin TableV and all the FIDS recoveriesso far in Map II. A ChinstrapPenguin has been reported as at 1,east11, probablymore, yearsold; a SnowPetrel at least 10 yearsold; Adelie Penguinsand Cape Pigeonsat least 9 years old. One of the first flipper bands put on an Adelie Penguinin 1950 was recentlyobserved to be in goodcondition with no wear on the flipper after 7 years. Another band has beenrecovered on a SnowPetrel after nearly 8 years. A McCormick'sSkua bandedby the U.S. AntarcticService Expedition in 1941 was recoveredby FIDS more than 8•/,2 years later when the bird wasat least10 yearsold. Otherdata on l'ongevityand on survival of bandsare given in Table XI. The importanceof internationalco- operation,and of conservationof Antarcticwildlife, are emphasized.

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Falkland IslandsDependencies Survey, Scientific Bureau, 11 CowleyStreet, London, S. fV. 1, England.