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POP2025-09 Campbell Island seabird research 2025-26 (PDF, 5,170K)

Summary

This trip was the third year of a follow-up project from initial work completed on Campbell Island in March 2020 and February 2023 to primarily determine population trends for southern royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora). During 2025-26, nests were counted in two study (Col and Moubray) and three index areas (Faye, Paris, Honey) to compare to historical counts. Additional aims were to resight marked birds, band all breeding pairs in the Col study area, deploy base station transmitters, recover GLS loggers, and set up remote cameras at nests to monitor breeding success. Other species work included conducting photo point counts for Campbell (Thalassarche impavida) and grey-headed albatross (T. chrysostoma), deploying remote cameras at grey-headed albatross nests, deploying satellite transmitters and GLS loggers on grey-headed and Campbell albatross, resight marked birds and band up to 100 breeding adults of both species. Accessible nest sites were searched for light-mantled sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) and remote cameras set up at nests. Opportunistic searches while traveling or within southern royal albatross study and index areas were done for Antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis antipodensis), and any unbanded birds were marked. As much of the 2020 northern giant petrel (Macronectes halli) population survey as possible was repeated, and opportunistic counts of white-chinned petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis) burrows were carried out.

Nest counts for southern royal albatross showed an overall decline of 29.9% since the 1990s and a 23.9% decline since the 2000s. The Paris index area had the highest percent change of -44.8% since the 1990s, and Col study area had the lowest at -18.7%. There appears to be a stabilization in nest numbers over the past three years. Deployment of 20 base station transmitters on breeding adult southern royal albatross in the Col study area was attempted but due to technical issues with the hub this was not possible. Twenty-three previously deployed GLS loggers were retrieved. For demographics, 46 nests had both birds of the pair marked within the Col study area in addition to the 79 pairs completed in previous seasons, resulting in a total of 240 pairs marked over three seasons. Twenty-six cameras were deployed to monitor breeding success. Based on the Campbell and grey-headed albatross photo point counts, the percent change between 2019/20 and 2025/26 (excluding Courrejolles Peninsula) showed an increase in the total number of Campbell albatross (sitting and loafing birds) of 5.6% and a decline of 30.2% in the total number grey-headed albatross, but over longer time periods, both have been exhibiting concerning declines. For breeding success monitoring of grey-headed and Campbell albatross, five cameras were replaced covering 32 nests. Ten PTT-GPS transmitters and ten PTT transmitters deployed on grey-headed albatross showed most of the individuals dispersed widely across the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean with many undertaking long-distance movements into pelagic waters. For light-mantled sooty albatross, a total of six cameras were deployed covering six nests to continue monitoring of breeding success. Thirteen Antipodean albatross were found on the Moubray Peninsula, of which four were previously banded on Campbell Island in 2023/24 and two in 2024/25. A total of 102 northern giant petrel nests were found across the island compared to 92 nests in 2019/20.

Publication information

Mischler, C., Thompson, H., Hamilton K., Düssler, M. 2026. POP2025-09. Campbell Island Research Project. Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. 49 p.