Press release on the European Storm Petrel!

Following the publication by Militao et al. here , the European Storm Petrel hits the news.  A new press release on the European Storm Petrel here. and on the local newspaper here

 

New Publicatin on Storm Petrel wintering areas!

Militäo, T., Sanz-Aguilar, A., Rotger, A. and Ramos, R., 2022 Non-breeding distribution and at-sea activity patterns of the smallest European seabird, the European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus). Ibis doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13068

Abstract: Determining the non-breeding distribution and activity patterns of migratory animals is essential to understand the trade-offs across breeding, moulting and migratory periods and to evaluate the differential levels of exposure of these animals to threats throughout the year. By taking advantage of the current miniaturization of geolocators, during the breeding season of 2019, we deployed geolocators on 10 European Storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus breeding on Benidorm Island, Western Mediterranean, to determine the distribution and activity patterns of this small seabird species. Of the eight individuals that were recaptured with usable geolocation data, all individuals migrated to the North Atlantic Ocean, ranging between the Canary Islands and south of Iceland. They possibly take advantage of the more productive waters in the North Atlantic areas explored during the non-breeding period compared with the Western Mediterranean areas explored during the breeding period. 

Photo from https://birdguide.club/

This migratory pattern contrasted with the partial migration described for individuals breeding in the Central Mediterranean. Tracked individuals were more synchronous in their prenuptial than in their postnuptial migratory phenology, probably due to a higher probability of breeding success related to earlier arrival to the breeding area. At-sea activity data indicated that individuals spent more time on the water at night (and especially on those nights around the new moon) during the first half of the non-breeding period (matching the dates of the moulting period of the species). Although birds may begin to moult their feathers while breeding, some seemed to overlap the moulting period with the postnuptial migration. Our results show that multi-colony studies are needed to understand the drivers of distinct migratory patterns at intra- and inter-population levels and how small migratory species trade-off the overlap of moult with other energetically demanding activities such as breeding or migrating.

The European Storm Petrel on "Es Busqueret"

A popular science article on Storm Petrel foraging trips from Ibiza has been published in the "Es Busqueret" (vol. 51, pag 12-17), the natural history journal of the Balearic Island (in catalan). It adds more evidence to the recent article by Rotger et al. published in Ardeola (here) from Storm petrels breeding in the Balearic Island.

European storm petrel campaign on the blocks!

The campaign on European Storm Petrels on Western Medieterranean isalnds is on the blocks. Thanks to Andreu, Maria and, of course, Ana (and some extra help). This year birds are breeding late. Let's hope they will breed well.

Cover!

A picture by Victor Paris was selected for the Cover of the 68th volume of the journal ARDEOLA to illustrate Rotger, A. et al. publication Foraging far from home: GPS-tracking of Mediterranean Storm Petrel reveals long.distance foraging movements. Congrats Victor, amazing picture!

 

New Publication on European Storm Petrel : foraging areas revealed for the first time !

Rotger, A., Sola, A., Tavecchia, G. and Sanz-Aguilar, A. 2020. Foraging Far from Home: Gps-Tracking of Mediterranean Storm-Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis Reveals Long-Distance Foraging Movements. Ardeola, 68(1):3-16 (2020). https://doi.org/10.13157/arla.68.1.2021.ra1

Abstract: Identifying important foraging areas is fundamental to detecting the demographic drivers of a species and ultimately to plan conservation measures. For some species, such as small pelagic seabirds, foraging grounds are difficult to locate and remain largely unknown. We used miniaturised GPS devices (∼0.95g) to study foraging movements of Mediterranean Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis during the incubation period. A total of 43 individuals at Benidorm colony (southwestern Mediterranean Sea) were tracked during a single foraging trip. We first assessed potential negative effects of the tracking devices.

We recorded 22 complete foraging trips and measured home-range, foraging areas and the degree of overlap among individuals. We used first passage time analyses (FPT) to differentiate foraging/resting from flying/travelling activities and to infer potential foraging areas. All tracked birds returned to the colony. On average, individual body weight slightly decreased after foraging trips, suggesting a small immediate negative effect of the device. Tracked birds had high breeding success (0.71). Foraging trips lasted between 1 and 4.5 days with the total distance travelled ranging between 303.14 and 1,726.53km. The visited areas covered the whole south-western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Tracked individuals shared more than 50% of their home-range areas. Foraging areas were located further from the colony than previously thought (from 240 to 469km away) on deep sea areas of the Alboran Sea and Cartagena Canyons. Further studies are needed to locate foraging grounds during other life-cycle periods and to evaluate repeatability yearly, in order to determine the important marine areas for the species.—Rotger, A., Sola, A., Tavecchia, G. & Sanz-Aguilar, A. (2021). Foraging far from home: GPS-tracking of Mediterranean Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis reveals long-distance foraging movements. Ardeola, 68: 3-16.

Storm Petrel 3rd campaign!

The third Storm Petrel campaign in 2020 is ongoing. This will be the 27th year of monitoring at Benidorm Island. Congratulation to all who made this possible, especially to A Sanz-Aguilar who kept the study alive during the last 13 years. More we study them, more these little birds surprise us.

Storm Petrels on the news !

The work by A Sanz-Aguilar and A. Rotger on the first tracks of Storm Petrels breeding in the Balearic Archipelago hit the news! here

 

Storm Petrel 2nd Campaign

The second Storm Petrel campaign in the Balearic archipelago has began. Birds are breeding late this year and expecially in this colony. Keep posted to know the foraging tracks!

Ticks on the news!

The work by A. Sanz-Aguilar et al. (here) on ticks and Storm Petrel chick survival made the news today. Here a press note by E. Soto (which became rapidly a hit). 

New Publication on Ticks and Seabirds!

Sanz-Aguilar,A., Payo-Payo, A., Rotger, A., Yousfi, L., Moutailler, S., Beck, C., Dumarest, M.,Igual, J.M., Miranda, M-A., Viñas Torres, M., Picorelli, V., Gamble, A., Bouliner T. 2019: Infestation of small seabirds by Ornithodoros maritimus ticks: Effects on chick body condition, reproduction and associated infectious agents Ticks and Tick-borne diseases, doi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.101281

Abstract: Ticks can negatively affect their host by direct effects as blood feeding causing anaemia or discomfort, or by pathogen transmission. Consequently, ticks can have an important role in the population dynamics of their hosts. However, specific studies on the demographic effects of tick infestation on seabirds are still scarce. Seabird ticks have also the potential to be responsible for the circulation of little known tick-borne agents, which could have implications for non-seabird species. Here, we report the results of investigations on potential associations between soft tick Ornithodoros maritimus load and reproductive parameters of storm petrels Hydrobates pelagicus breeding in a large colony in a cave of Espartar Island, in the Balearic archipelago.
We also investigated by molecular analyses the potential viral and bacterial pathogens associated with O. maritimus ticks present at the colony. Lower nestling survival was recorded in the most infested area, deep in the cave, compared to the area near the entrance. The parasite load was negatively associated with the body condition of the nestlings. One pool of ticks tested positive for West Nile virus and 4 pools tested positive for a Borrelia species which was determined by targeted nested PCR to have a 99% sequence identity with B. turicatae, a relapsing fever Borrelia. Overall, these results show that further investigations are needed to better understand the ecology and epidemiology of the interactions between ticks, pathogens and Procellariiform species.

Benidorm beaches and Storm Petrel!

The Benidorm City Council has prepared panels to inform people what to do when they recover Storm Petrels stranded on city's beaches attracted by the artificial lights. A good initiative promoted by Ana Sanz-Aguilar and the long-term project of Storm Petrel at Benidrom Island.
More here.

The Storm Petrel on the Virtual Encyclopedia of Vertebrates!

A. Sanz-Aguilar led a team of six researchers to write the chapter on the European Storm Petrel for the Virtual Encyclopedia of Spanish Vertebrates. The result is one of the richest and more accurate work available on this species, reporting findings from 170 references on Storm Petrel habitat, distribution, diet and demography. A work the summarizes information collected during many years of research at several European sites.

Sanz-Aguilar, A., Zuberogoitia, I., Sallent, Á., Picorelli, V., Navedo, J.G., Garaita, R. (2019). Paíño europeo – Hydrobates pelagicus. En: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. López, P., Martín, J., González-Solís, J. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/

 

Storm Petrel on the local news!

The Storm Petrel was on the news today. Dr.a Ana Sanz-Aguilar of the GEDA explains the ecology of the species and its distribution in the Balearic archipelago!  Full interview in Catalan here
 

Master on Marine Ecology with the GEDA

M. Martin Perez

A. Sola

M. Martin Perez and M. Castell from the University of the Blearic Island, and A. Sola from the University of Santiago began their Final Work (TFM) for their Master Degree on Marine Ecology with the GEDA.

M. Castell

 Maria will be focussing her research on the response of Cory's Shearwater to climatic changes, Marga will experimentally evaluate the recruitment behaviour of Storm Petrel and Alfonso will study the foraging strategy of the Yellow-Legged Gull. They will be supervised by A. Sanz-Aguilar, G. Tavecchia and J.-M. Igual.
Their respective fieldwork campaigns are on the starting blocks !

New Publication on European Storm Petrel wintering areas!

Martínez, C, Roscales, J. L., Sanz-Aguilar, A., Gonzalis-Solis, J, 2019. Inferring the Wintering Distribution of the Mediterranean Populations of European Storm-Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis from Stable Isotope Analysis and Observational Field Data. Ardeola 66(1) 13-32. doi:https://doi.org/10.13157/arla.66.1.2019.ra2

Abstract: Bird migration studies have been given added impetus recently thanks to the miniaturisation of tracking devices. However, tracking methodologies have remained impractical for the smallest pelagic species and so important gaps in knowledge still exist. In the case of the European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus, while Atlantic populations are thought to overwinter along the south-western African coast, the winter quarters of Mediterranean birds remain more enigmatic. We performed stable isotope analysis (SIA) of C and N on P1, S8 and P10 feathers from 33 adult birds captured in three Atlantic colonies and 156 adult birds in seven western Mediterranean colonies to infer their wintering areas.

From Wikipedia

In addition, we collated all observational field data, both from peer-reviewed publications and the wider literature, to complement our inferences from SIA. Within the Atlantic, isotopic profiles of feathers moulted at the breeding grounds (P1) differed between birds captured at northern Atlantic and Canary Islands colonies, but were similar for feathers moulted in winter quarters (S8 and P10), indicating low migratory connectivity. Isotopic values of feathers from western Mediterranean birds differed from those of Atlantic birds and showed Mediterranean values for all feathers, indicating that the former overwinter in Mediterranean waters. Variance in the isotopic values was greater in winter than in breeding season feathers, suggesting that birds disperse over larger areas in winter. Isotopic values of feathers moulted during the non-breeding period could match a post-breeding movement towards the southern and eastern Mediterranean. This inference matches the distribution of the few winter reports, which are mainly concentrated in the south-central Mediterranean, mostly in the Tunisian Platform. Our results suggest that this region is the principal wintering area of Mediterranean Storm-petrels.—Martínez, C., Roscales, J.L., Sanz-Aguilar, A. & González-Solís, J. (2019). Inferring the wintering distribution of the Mediterranean populations of European Storm-petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis from stable isotope analysis and observational field data.

A press release by SEO BirdLife here

News: Parasites and Storm Petrel!

The research led by A. Sanz-Aguilar of the GEDA en collaboration with the Department of Zoology of the UIB is on the news here (an article by J. M. L. Romero on the Diario de Ibiza). 

Ana is studying whether differences in the fledgling sucess among the different parts of the colony can be due to the presence of specific parasites (Ornithodoros maritimus). The results was presented at the VII Conference on Baelaric Enviroment early this month.

Caught on camera !

A previous work by Ana Sanz-Aguilar (here) has showed that a small number of highly specialized gulls was responsible for the observed predation at a colony of an European Storm Petrel. Selective culling directed to these individuals improved petrel breeding sucess and survival, an indication that massive culling plans might well miss the target. Ten years after, Ana found some new kids in town ... and this time she took them on camera! 

New Publication on immune response in seabirds

Garnier, R., Ramos, R. Sanz-Aguilar, A., Poisbleau, M., Weimerskirch, H., Burthe, A., Tornos, J. and Boulinier, T., 2017. Interpreting ELISA analyses from wild animal samples: Somerecurrent issues and solutions Funcitonal Ecology, 31, 2255–2262 .DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12942

Abstract
1.Many studies in disease and ecological immunology rely on the use of assays that quantify the amount of specific antibodies (immunoglobulin) in samples. Enzymelinked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are increasingly used in ecology due to their availability for a broad array of antigens and the limited amount of sampling material they require. Two recurrent methodological issues are nevertheless faced by researchers: (1) the limited availability of immunological assays and reagents developed for non-model species, and (2) the statistical determination of the cut-off threshold used to distinguish individual samples that are likely to have or not to have antibodies against a specific antigen.

Photo: Victor París

2. Here, we outline two solutions to deal with these issues. First, we show that implementing two assays with differing detection methods can help validate the use of reagents, such as antibodies, in species different from their intended target. We illustrate this by comparing the quantification of  specific vaccinal antibodies against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) using two ELISA approaches in four seabird species (Cory’s shearwater, European shag, European storm petrel and Southern rockhopper penguin).
3. Second, we provide a simple way to determine from the distribution of ELISA values whether the assayed samples are likely to be made of a single group of individuals (likely negative) or of two groups of individuals (negative and positive). We illustrate the use of this approach with two independent datasets: NDV antibody levels following vaccination and anti-Borrelia antibody levels following natural exposure.
4. The practical implementation of these methodological approaches could provide a way to efficiently apply ELISAs and other immune-based assays to address questions in the growing fields of ecological immunology and disease ecology.